From ancient civilizations to modern-day society, beards have been a symbol of power, wisdom, and even rebellion. Beards in Ancient Times: In ancient Egypt, a well-groomed beard was a sign of high social status.
Other cultures, even while not officially mandating it, view a beard as central to a man's virility, exemplifying such virtues as virtue, beauty, wisdom, strength, fertility, sexual prowess, and high social status.
A beard is a sign of active testosterone in the body, and human brains recognize that as coming with the potential for more aggression. As a result, men with beards are often seen as more angry, aggressive, or dominant, even if their personality has none of those traits.
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.
Now, men with bold beards are seen as more masculine, dominant, and formidable, with an authoritative social perception from those around them. The psychology of growing a beard could also be based on social bonding.
Maturity, Masculinity, and Style
A full and well-groomed beard can clearly convey an image of masculinity and maturity. Sporting this beard style is often associated with experience and wisdom. Men who have a full beard tend to project an image that exudes seriousness, confidence, and sometimes even power.
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.
Beards as a Symbol of Piety
Beards were seen as a sign of religious devotion and piety. Men who were deeply committed to God's commandments and observant of religious rituals often embraced the growth of their beards, considering it an outward expression of their inner faith.
Women find men with light stubble most attractive, and men with full beards as most masculine. A fuller beard is perceived as indicative of good fathering ability and more investment in offspring. Some women do not care for men's facial hair at all.
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.
In scientific studies, men were rated higher for the following: Age: Men with beards were perceived as older than men without beards. Social status: Bearded men were presumed to have a higher social status. Aggressiveness: Men were judged as more aggressive when they had a beard.
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.
The Genetics of Beard Growth
Unlike the genetics of head hair, which has been studied extensively, scientists don't yet fully understand the role of DNA in facial hair thickness. But in general, if your biological father or grandfather had thick beard hair, you're also likely to have a thick beard.
Beard is a slang term, American in origin, describing a person who is used, knowingly or unknowingly, as a date, romantic partner (boyfriend or girlfriend), or spouse either to conceal infidelity or to conceal one's sexual orientation.
First, in Israelite culture, the beard served as a sign of mature masculinity. All Israelite men grew beards; God commanded it: “You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard” (Leviticus 19:27).
“The benefit of having a beard is protection, as well as esthetics,” Dr. Harvey says. “Its good protection against wind, chafing and traumatic injury. It's also a trend, so we see a lot of men with some form of facial hair.”
Research shows that men with beards are often perceived as more mature and dominant compared to their clean-shaven counterparts. A full-grown beard can give off an aura of wisdom and experience, making others naturally gravitate towards them for guidance.
From ancient civilizations to modern-day society, beards have been a symbol of power, wisdom, and even rebellion. Beards in Ancient Times: In ancient Egypt, a well-groomed beard was a sign of high social status.
In some cultures, specific facial hair styles can signal social status, dominance in male-male competition, or even age, as young individuals with facial hair tend to appear older. Studies have found that people associate facial hair with biological characteristics such as sexual maturity, age, and masculinity.
The beard is a symbol of manhood, virility, and sovereignty. It is wisdom, a mark of the knowledge of the elders, and is often the mark of male dignity. Hence, a bearded woman is often a witch. In the Old Testament, the beard can only be cut as a form of penance, mourning, punishment or putting someone to shame.
Muslims learn about the Prophet's views on facial hair not from the Koran, but through hadith - or sayings - attributed to Muhammad. One such hadith, in a collection by Muslim scholar Muhammad al-Bukhari centuries ago, stipulates: "Cut the moustaches short and leave the beard."
Men credited moustaches, side-whiskers, and especially beards with holding a litany of powers: maintaining or amplifying health, conveying dignity and respect, conferring masculinity, and even justifying the natural rule of men over women.
Beards also signal sexual maturity. Like women's breasts that develop at puberty and shrink with menopause, little boys can't grow beards while older men's gray beards confirm that the height of their virility has passed. But on the more conscious level, men also grow beards to accentuate their jawline.
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.