Men with Beards Are More Desirable, Studies Suggest

For men wooing with their facial hair, Goldilocks has relevant advice.

Guys sporting heavy stubble (10 days growth) and short stubble (five days growth) were considered the most attractive in a study with 8,520 female participants. Fully-bearded and clean-shaven men were viewed as the least sexy, but their preferences differed with the level of commitment.

Researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia found that women seeking long-term relationships were more likely to choose a man that donned a full beard or heavy stubble, while those looking for a short-term fling desired guys with light stubble the most.

In their findings published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology, the scientists suggest that women might be attracted to the hairier men when considered marriage or a long-term relationship because the beard “indicates a male’s ability to compete for resources.”

When the same researcher conducted a similar study with homosexual men, the proclivities parallel the trends in heterosexual women. Though, gay men showed a stronger preference for men with more facial hair in the study.