Beards are associated with masculinity, dominance, power and maturity. However, beard psychology is more complex than simply celebrating all things beard-related and leaving the clean-shaven men to sit with their razors in the corner.
Moreover, beards enhance judgments of men's facial masculinity, dominance, and aggressiveness compared to clean-shaven faces (Dixson et al., 2017; Mefodeva et al., 2020; Sherlock et al., 2017). Men with thicker beards are perceived as physically stronger (Fink et al., 2006).
Facial hair is considered an inherently masculine characteristic in our culture. Men with facial hair are perceived as being angrier, stronger and more masculine than men without facial hair.
Research shows that some men do feel facial hair makes them look more worldly or manly. Some like the way it feels. Studies consistently show that women, however, do not necessarily like it. And results often suggest that beards send a signal of masculinity to other men, but do little to attract women.
Women judged faces with heavy stubble as most attractive and heavy beards, light stubble and clean-shaven faces as similarly less attractive. In contrast, men rated full beards and heavy stubble as most attractive, followed closely by clean-shaven and light stubble as least attractive.
The results indicated that the women found men with light stubble most attractive; these men were preferred as both short- and long-term partners. However, the women perceived male faces with full beards as the most masculine, aggressive, and socially mature; the women also thought these men looked older.
Whether your man wears a permanent five o'clock shadow or sports whiskers down to his knees, his facial hair may be the reason behind your face breaking out. Even if your bearded beloved is always squeaky clean, irritations like beard burn and even acne breakouts can be a problem.
The Evolutionary Advantage. Way back in the day, a beard was like a neon sign flashing "strong and healthy." It signalled to potential mates that a man had good genes and could protect a family. Even now, studies show that women tend to associate beards with maturity, dominance, and even higher social status.
A man's ability to grow a fulsome beard isn't actually neatly linked to his testosterone levels. Despite this, a number of studies have suggested that both men and women perceive men with beards as older, stronger and more aggressive than others.
The short stubble was ranked the most attractive facial hair style. Clean-shaven was a close second, followed by long stubble in the third spot.
Women and men from both cultures judge bearded faces to be older and ascribe them higher social status than the same men when clean-shaven. Images of bearded men displaying an aggressive facial expression were also rated as significantly more aggressive than the same men when clean-shaven.
Does No Beard Mean Low Testosterone? That's not entirely true. Testosterone can influence facial hair quality, but when your genes are not favorable for beard production, testosterone can't help. Most men have similar levels of testosterone, including men without a beard.
Some of the common masculine facial features often include a prominent chin with or without the cleft in the middle of the chin and a squared jawline with more pronounced definition at the gonial angle (angle of the jaw next to the earlobe).
The majority of women preferred clean-shaven male faces (43.84%), followed by heavy stubble (26.03%) and light stubble (16.44%). Faces with light beard (10.96%) and full beard (2.74%) were the least preferred.
The full beard remains a timeless classic, dominating the beard trends of 2025. Known for its bold, masculine appeal, it's perfect for men who want to make a powerful statement.
Facial Hair as a Sign of Maturity & Attraction. Since you're not going to be seeing any little kids or women sporting beards, it's a known identifier as physical maturity in men. In a similar study to the beard aggression one, it was found that beards are associated with maturity and higher social status by both sexes.
There is no specific ethnicity that can't grow facial hair, but East Asian individuals, such as Japanese and Chinese, tend to have less facial hair and slower growth rates compared to other ethnicities.
Today, beards are still seen as a symbol of 'masculinity' – although we're much more fluid with our appearances, so the exact definition of masculinity is a personal thing. Some men may grow beards to make a statement or express their individuality.
To break things down even further, the same study showed men with full beards to be the most masculine, aggressive, and socially mature, while light stubble was preferred for both short and long-term partners. In other words, anyone who wore some type of facial hair was found to be more attractive in general.
Theories of human evolution indicate that beards in men are a way to demonstrate masculinity, dominance, and superiority, similar to the mane of lions. In the current era, beards are no longer necessary to protect facial skin, but they still have a psychological impact similar to that of our ancestors.
Not surprisingly, bearded faces were rated higher on masculinity and aggressiveness. But here's where it gets interesting: The researchers also found that bearded faces were rated as more prosocial than clean-shaven faces. Specifically, bearded happy faces were rated as more prosocial than clean-shaven happy faces.
Age is a big factor in beard growth. While most men experience some facial hair growth around the age of 16, it doesn't usually turn into a full beard until the mid 20's. Your beard will continue to thicken well into your 30s and 40s, so if your beard is still patchy in your early 20s, try again in a few years.
If your partner's kiss leaves your skin red and itchy, you're likely dealing with beard burn. While it can be uncomfortable and even lead to infections, the good news is that it's usually easy to treat and manage.
Women judged faces with heavy stubble as most attractive and heavy beards, light stubble and clean-shaven faces as similarly less attractive. In contrast, men rated full beards and heavy stubble as most attractive, followed closely by clean-shaven and light stubble as least attractive.