Women find men with beards attractive, according to a survey held at the University of Queensland in Australia. The survey which questioned nearly 1,000 women was conducted to determine the attitude of women towards facial hair in potential and short-term partners.
Based on the survey, women preferred men with beards because it made them look more physically and socially dominant. Women who prefer clean-shaven men, however, are afraid of parasites such as ticks and lice.
The participants, aged between 18 and 70, were shown 30 photos of 3 different men that vary in physical appearance. The same 3 men with photographed with different degrees of facial hair including full-beard, clean-shaven, and some were digitally manipulated to make the guys appear more feminine and masculine.
Images were shown one at a time on a screen projector while participants were asked to rate the guys on a scale of 0 to 100, depending on how attractive they were for long term or short-term relationships. The results show that guys that are hairy and have a more masculine appearance scored higher than the rest.
Men with bearded faces, wide cheekbones, strong jawlines, are the ones that received the highest ratings. Researches explained that masculine faces signify physical and social dominance.
Women who gave men without facial hair high ratings, on the other hand, disliked them not because they found them unattractive. These women disliked beards because they find them unsanitary and prone to parasites such as lice and ticks.
The participants were also showed images of parasites like lice and ticks, then were asked to rate how much they disliked them. They were also asked to rate their 'disgust of pathogens' and 'disgust of immoral behaviors' such as cheating, disloyalty, and petty crimes.
Based on the study, women who scored high on 'disgust of pathogens' were the ones who prefer bearded men. The ones who scored high on 'disgust of immoral behaviors' were also the ones who chose guys with beards.
Dr. Barbaby Dixson, one of the authors of the study suggested beards have a direct impact on women's views. Women see facial hair as a sign of having 'traditional relationship values' and that they're more likely to be chosen as long term partners.