Put in simpler terms, it helps spread our irresistible, musky scent to potential mates—a scent that, according to a 2007 study, not only increases a man's perceived attractiveness, but also helps women feel more relaxed.
Hair growth and size is modulated by hormones, in particular androgens like testosterone, which kick in during puberty. As men generally have higher levels of testosterone than women they tend to have more terminal hair.
Body hair, in sex-assigned at birth males, is mostly affected by genetics and androgens (which are hormones such as testosterone). If you have body hair in your axilla (or armpits) and pubic area, and you have gone through puberty, your hormones are probably normal. You may have less chest hair due to genetics.
First things first: Body grooming is entirely a matter of preference. There's no right way to do this stuff, and it might vary from season to season, and from one body part to the next. You might want lots of chest hair but absolutely no back hair.
Men all have roughly the same amount of testosterone. Certain genes make your hair follicles more or less sensitive to the amount of testosterone in your body. Basically, an enzyme converts testosterone into a substance that shrinks hair follicles.
What Percentage Of Guys Have Chest Hair? A study of over 1100 men ages 17 - 71 found that only 6% had no chest hair at all, while 56% displayed a moderate amount of chest hair. 38% of men displayed a light amount of chest hair.
As we age, our prolonged exposure to testosterone starts to play a visible role on other body hair as well. Just like it transforms the vellus hair on a young man's face into a thick beard, it also changes the nearly invisible hair that grows in places like our ears into thicker strands.
Bald men are no more virile and they don't have higher testosterone levels, though they do tend to have hairier arms, legs and chests. Perhaps most surprisingly, bald men don't actually have any fewer hairs on their heads.
Some men are very hairy, while others have no chest hair at all. All ranges and patterns of hair growth are normal. The areas where terminal hair may grow are the periareolar areas (nipples), the centre and sides of the chest and the clavicle collarbone.
It reduces friction
Armpit hair prevents skin-to-skin contact when doing certain activities, such as running and walking. The same thing happens with pubic hair, as it reduces friction during sex and other activities.
Too much testosterone can cause symptoms that effect a woman's physical appearance including: excess body hair, specifically facial hair.
Make You Look Wiser
Women are more likely to notice a man with a beard or at least some facial hair than someone without any. A man with chest and facial hair appear more mature and manly to others.
A new survey has revealed that women find manly men complete with hairy chests, messy hair and a beer belly attractive and prefer them to so-called metrosexuals. The study, which was carried out by Lion Bar ice cream, found that eight out of 10 females no longer go for the tall, slim, feminine look.
Keeping chest hair is a matter of choice. While some men prefer keeping it, others prefer a clean look. A lot of men also opt for permanent chest hair removal for varied reasons. While some remove it for hygiene purposes, reducing sweat and body odour, others do it to flaunt their body.
The main purpose of body hair is to help regulate our temperature in addition to keeping dirt out of our body (in areas such as our eyes and nostrils).
About 70% of men will lose hair as they get older. And 25% of bald men see first signs of hair loss before age 21. “Recent advances offer a lot of hope in both treating and preventing different types of baldness,” says dermatologist Amy Kassouf, MD.
A hairy chest signals higher intelligence in a man, somewhat tongue-in-cheek research finds. Dr Aikarakudy Alias, a psychiatrist, has found that hairy chests are more frequent among men who are highly educated, such as doctors.
Testosterone promotes body hair growth in men. As a result, one common symptom of low testosterone is a loss of body hair. You may notice thinning of your armpit or pubic hair. Many men find the change is most noticeable in their beard because they don't have to shave as often.
Many hair follicles stop producing new hairs. Men may start showing signs of baldness by the time they are 30 years old. Many men are nearly bald by age 60.
Sex: Male hair grows faster than female hair. Age: Hair grows fastest between the ages of 15 and 30, before slowing down. Some follicles stop working altogether as people get older. This is why some people get thinner hair or go bald.
It's More Common than You Think
But it's actually more common than you might think. One study conducted by Harvard revealed that 25% of men surveyed had hairy upper backs while 26% of all respondents had lower back hair. So it's not really that uncommon.
The longest chest hair (male) is 28.20 cm (11.10 in), and was achieved by Vittorio Lullo (Italy) in…
The reason for this is not known but it could be due to poorer circulation, lower free circulating hormone amounts or other reasons. Lower amount of body and facial hair in men can accompany sever disorders such as Klinefelter syndrome, hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and XX male syndrome.
In a recent survey we conducted, we found that 83% of the men we spoke to trimmed some or all of their body hair. In the chart above*, you'll see the breakdown of who shaved what. Ears, eyebrows and noses made a predictably high showing, but the next-highest body part on the list was the groin area by a strong margin.