Do you find beards attractive?
Men might be growing beards to appear more attractive to women and more dominant to other men, a study on monkeys suggests.
The current trend is for big bushy ‘hipster’ beards, which in most cases, are maintained with shampoo, conditioner and beard oils.
Scientists think they may have solved one of the great mysteries of the age. Why are so many of today’s men growing beards?
The answer, according to The University of Western Australia researchers, is because men are feeling under pressure from other men and are attempting to look aggressive by being more flamboyant with their whiskers.
But the phenomenon is not necessarily a modern one. In their paper, the authors also argue that the popularity of moustaches and beards among British men from 1842 -1971 rose when there were fewer females in the marriage pool and beards were judged to be more attractive.
During the 19th century, the attitude to facial hair changed as a result of the wars in India and Asia. Many Middle Eastern and Indian cultures associated wisdom and power with facial hair so as a result, beards, moustaches and side whiskers in particular, became more common on British soldiers stationed in the east.
Do you find beards attractive? Do you prefer facial hair or smooth skin?
