The Science of Facial Hair: What Signals Do Beards, Stubble, and Mustaches Send to Others? #TBT

Today's blog post was originally published last year and seems very appropriate since many of us guys are growing a quarantine beard or mustache. I'm keeping up my normal routine of usually shaving once or twice a week:

Today's blog post is based on an article from The Art of Manliness. I don't really like beards but I also don't like to shave, so I'm kind of in that Don Johnson Miami Vice state of stubble most of the time. But since the #30DayBeardGrowingChallenge starts in just over 3 weeks (23 days but who's counting?), I figured this is a good time to discuss facial hair.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a yes or no answer to every question of aesthetics? 

It’s certainly how magazines and pop culture presents things when it comes to how a man should or shouldn’t look. 

But that’s rarely how the human brain works. As we’ve discussed before in regards to style, there are definitely some black/white rules, but for the most part each man needs to discover what works best for him. He needs to express himself through his style choices, within some basic frameworks. 

One fascinatingly complex issue that has come back into the spotlight recently is that of facial hair. It’s not something you can break down into basic good/bad or right/wrong strategies. It all depends on the individual. 

Forget anyone who tells you that beards are a 100% guarantee to be an alpha male lady-killer. Also forget anyone who says they’re an automatic job-loser and impossible to pair with a business suit. 

It’s just not that simple. 

With a little bit of research, you can figure out the length and style of facial hair that’s right for your life, your career, and your goals.

 So, what kind of signals does facial hair send to others?

Here’s the most basic breakdown. When you have distinctive facial hair (anything visible, even stubble), these are the traits people tend to associate with you: 

• aggression and dominance
• maturity 

A clean-shaven man, on the other hand, is associated more with the following traits: 

• sociability
• health/cleanliness

The article then goes on to talk about different aspects of facial hair:

Facial Hair and Societal Perception 

Aggression & Facial Hair

Maturity & Facial Hair

Sociability & Facial Hair

Which fellow would folks feel more comfortable approaching?

Cleanliness & Facial Hair

Facial Hair and Employment

The takeaway: for job interviews, you need either a clean shave or a very neat beard. Make sure the outlines are razor-sharp (no pun intended) if you go bearded.

Facial Hair, Self-Perception, and Behavior

Beards and Sexual Appeal

We’ve saved the best for last, because this is what most of you really want to know: will a beard help you with women?

Well?

• Studies have indicated that women find facial stubble the most “attractive” look when it comes to facial hair. One study went a step further, separating “light stubble” from “heavy stubble,” at which point women found heavy stubble the most attractive and light stubble the least — call it the “no peachfuzz, please!” value judgement.
• Unsurprisingly, women found men with facial hair more “masculine” than men without.
• Likely tied to the idea that greater masculinity=better provider, women rated men with full beards as most likely to have good parenting skills.
• Clean-shaven and full-bearded men were rated higher on personal cleanliness than men with stubble of any length.

So, long story short, how facial hair will help you in your quest for love depends largely on the sort of partner and relationship you’re looking for. 

If you want to settle down and have kids, and are looking for someone that feels the same, a full beard might be best. If you’re just flirting and having fun, a few days of stubble will work better — but make sure it’s thick and even.

Here's a video to wrap things up for you:

Whenever I grow my beard, there's definitely quite a difference of opinion. Last year, for the first time I actually shaved off most of it and kept a goatee for a little while. Maybe I'll do that again this year.

Interesting days

Today - Corn Fritters Day,  Guinea Pig Appreciation Day, World Snake Day and Fresh Spinach Day

Tomorrow - World Emoji Day, Peach Ice Cream Day, Tattoo Day and Yellow Pig Day

Next Thursday - Peanut Butter and Chocolate Day, Sprinkle Day, International Yada, Yada, Yada Day, Gorgeous Grandma Day and Vanilla Ice Cream Day

Week long celebrations:

Jul 18 - Jul 26: Moth Week

August 16 - Surveillance Day, Rollercoaster Day, Tell A Joke Day, Airborne Day, World Bratwurst Day and Rum Day

Week long celebrations:

August 10 - 16: Afternoon Tea Week