{"id":1856,"date":"2022-11-16T11:15:45","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T17:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/?p=1856"},"modified":"2023-05-25T10:55:51","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T15:55:51","slug":"does-a-beard-make-you-look-more-masculine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/does-a-beard-make-you-look-more-masculine\/","title":{"rendered":"Does a Beard Make You Look More Masculine? (Physical and Social Cues)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Beards seem to be everywhere. They are popular in American culture among the celebrity set, working class, and all population segments in between. What\u2019s the appeal? Do beards make you look more masculine? Research says yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A beard can make you look more masculine because facial hair is equated with manliness and virility. Facial hair appears at puberty due to the surge in androgenic hormones. Growing a beard or mustache communicates manhood to the outside world.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read on to learn the science and possible pros and cons of beards and masculinity!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/does-a-beard-make-you-look-more-masculine\/#Beards_and_masculinity\" title=\"Beards and masculinity\">Beards and masculinity<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/does-a-beard-make-you-look-more-masculine\/#Physical_appeal\" title=\"Physical appeal\">Physical appeal<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/does-a-beard-make-you-look-more-masculine\/#Paternity\" title=\"Paternity\">Paternity<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/does-a-beard-make-you-look-more-masculine\/#Socioeconomic_success\" title=\"Socioeconomic success\">Socioeconomic success<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/does-a-beard-make-you-look-more-masculine\/#Are_beards_attractive_to_women\" title=\"Are beards attractive to women?\">Are beards attractive to women?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/does-a-beard-make-you-look-more-masculine\/#Do_guys_with_beards_have_more_testosterone\" title=\"Do guys with beards have more testosterone?\">Do guys with beards have more testosterone?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/does-a-beard-make-you-look-more-masculine\/#Do_men_with_beards_look_more_aggressive\" title=\"Do men with beards look more aggressive?\">Do men with beards look more aggressive?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/does-a-beard-make-you-look-more-masculine\/#Do_men_with_beards_look_more_dominant\" title=\"Do men with beards look more dominant?\">Do men with beards look more dominant?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/does-a-beard-make-you-look-more-masculine\/#Potential_cons_to_having_a_beard\" title=\"Potential cons to having a beard\">Potential cons to having a beard<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Beards_and_masculinity\"><\/span><strong>Beards and masculinity<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Love or hate them, you can\u2019t deny that beards change perceptions. Researchers have been intrigued for years about the psychological effects of facial hair.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Beards are perceived as masculine because they signal physical appeal, strength and health, paternity, and socioeconomic success.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For centuries, beards have gone in and out of fashion for various reasons. The past decade has seen a beard resurgence that doesn\u2019t show any signals of dying. Here are some of the reasons why beardedness and masculinity go hand in hand:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Physical appeal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strength<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Health<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Paternity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Socioeconomic success<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Physical_appeal\"><\/span><strong>Physical appeal<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Does-a-Beard-Make-You-Look-More-Masculine-1-1024x683.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2065\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Does-a-Beard-Make-You-Look-More-Masculine-1-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Does-a-Beard-Make-You-Look-More-Masculine-1-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Does-a-Beard-Make-You-Look-More-Masculine-1-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Does-a-Beard-Make-You-Look-More-Masculine-1.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Men have the market cornered when it comes to easy facial transformation. Weak chin? Grow a beard. <a href=\"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/can-a-beard-make-you-look-fatter\/\" target=\"_blank\">Fat face<\/a>? Grow a beard. Turkey neck? Grow a beard. Strategically grown beards can<a href=\"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/can-a-beard-hide-a-double-weak-chin-turkey-neck\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> hide flaws, improve facial shape<\/a>, and accentuate positive features to improve appeal.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Strength<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember Samson? His hair was his strength. Centuries later, we still equate hair growth with manliness and bravado. Lumberjacks don beards, and they can chop logs for hours. A rugby player\u2019s pitch domination seems to coincide with their level of bearddom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/iob\/article\/2\/1\/obaa005\/5799080\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Studies show that facial hair absorbs blows<\/a> to the face backing up the assumptions that beards may give a man an edge during a fight or attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beards have a reputation for harboring all kinds of pathogens. While it\u2019s true bacteria can live in facial hair, following simple hygiene measures keeps the creeps at bay. In fact, facial hair works as a filter to ward off bugs from entering the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;Women perceive men with beards as having better immune systems, and studies show their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5464545\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">preferences for beards don\u2019t waiver <\/a>even when the possibility of lice or ticks is introduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Paternity\"><\/span><strong>Paternity<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The first introductions of androgenic hair coincide with a <a href=\"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/how-old-are-you-when-you-start-to-grow-a-beard\/\" target=\"_blank\">teen\u2019s coming of age<\/a>. It\u2019s no surprise that both single and married women view <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0018506X19300455\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bearded men as suitable partners for rearing children<\/a>. Beards add years to a man\u2019s age and give an aura of maturity. These factors help solidify the bearded-father effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Socioeconomic_success\"><\/span><strong>Socioeconomic success<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Facial hair can<a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/beheco\/article\/23\/3\/481\/221987\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> communicate a higher social status <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lendingtree.com\/credit-cards\/study\/no-shave-november-survey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">economic success<\/a>. Both men and women perceive bearded men as social climbers and better handlers of finances than their clean-shaven counterparts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_beards_attractive_to_women\"><\/span>Are beards attractive to women?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s probably no more excellent debate than beard preferences among women. Some women love them, while the other camp despises them with the same enthusiasm.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Beards are attractive to many women but a turn-off to others. Women tend to favor heavy stubble and view bearded men as long-term relationship contenders. <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/studyfinds.org\/beard-bravado-75-of-men-feel-more-confident-with-facial-hair\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Surveys<\/strong><\/a><strong> show that men feel more confident when wearing a beard, and women are attracted to confidence.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A look at message boards shows this love\/hate relationship in real time. Reddit users are pretty blunt when sharing their opinions. <em>\u201cI think most men look better with some facial hair,\u201d <\/em>was the sentiment of many<em>,<\/em> while others said,<em> <\/em>&nbsp;<em>\u201c&#8230;a long bushy beard is a hard NO\u201d<\/em> and <em>\u201cI hate facial hair.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They all seem to agree that with whatever you choose, keep yourself clean and well-groomed. In the succinct words of one user, <em>\u201c&#8230;if you can\u2019t be bothered to maintain it, shave it the heck off!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fun fact: In many of Shakespeare&#8217;s plays, male characters without beards were made fun of by the women characters claiming they weren\u2019t manly. This was a direct reflection of Renaissance thinking that theorized facial hair literally grew every time semen was expelled.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_guys_with_beards_have_more_testosterone\"><\/span><strong>Do guys with beards have more testosterone?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you know how male birds outshine females with bold colors and impressive feathers? There are several reasons for this, but one is to alert the females that they are ready and able to mingle. Is facial hair a fair gauge of a man\u2019s testosterone levels? Not really. Even though beard hair is influenced by testosterone, it\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/34676468\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> not a valid signal for an abundance of this hormone<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_men_with_beards_look_more_aggressive\"><\/span><strong>Do men with beards look more aggressive?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Beards do seem to enhance the aggressiveness factor. A <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/beheco\/article\/23\/3\/481\/221987\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">study in the Behavioral Ecology<\/a> Journal concluded that a male with a beard was perceived as more aggressive than the same male without a beard. Facial hair is often associated with aggressive criminal behavior. Studies show that <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/15291226\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mock jurors assume bearded men were responsible for violent crimes<\/a>. When asked to sketch criminals, 78% of study respondents included facial hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_men_with_beards_look_more_dominant\"><\/span><strong>Do men with beards look more dominant?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If two men meet up on the street, one with a beard and one without, who will appear to be the most dominant foe? Research suggests it would be the bearded lad. Even if the clean-shaven guy had a facial structure rivaling Mt. Rushmore, <a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s40750-020-00128-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the addition of a beard wins the dominance battle<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Potential_cons_to_having_a_beard\"><\/span><strong>Potential cons to having a beard<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Does-a-Beard-Make-You-Look-More-Masculine-2-1024x683.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2067\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Does-a-Beard-Make-You-Look-More-Masculine-2-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Does-a-Beard-Make-You-Look-More-Masculine-2-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Does-a-Beard-Make-You-Look-More-Masculine-2-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Does-a-Beard-Make-You-Look-More-Masculine-2.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>While a beard can make you look more masculine and mature, there are a few cons to consider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The potential cons to having a beard are workplace restrictions, upkeep time, partner preferences, and the masking of emotions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Workplace restrictions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Upkeep time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Partner preferences<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Masks emotions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Specific jobs may ban beards altogether or put length and style restrictions on them. Beard hygiene and proper grooming take time. Believe it or not, some women out there don\u2019t appreciate the look or feel of whiskers. A beard may make you seem angry or aggressive while <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0956797619834876\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">masking your feelings of happiness or sadness<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Beards seem to be everywhere. They are popular in American culture among the celebrity set, working class, and all population segments in between. What\u2019s the appeal? Do beards make you look more masculine? Research says yes. A beard can make you look more masculine because facial hair is equated with manliness and virility. Facial hair&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2064,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":11,"label":"Beards"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Does-a-Beard-Make-You-Look-More-Masculine-1024x683.png",1024,683,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Joshua Bartlett","author_link":"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/author\/joshuaebartlett\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":11,"name":"Beards","slug":"beards","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":11,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":60,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":11,"category_count":60,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Beards","category_nicename":"beards","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1856"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1856"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3110,"href":"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1856\/revisions\/3110"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imustacheyoutoshave.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}