Bearded Men Make Better Boyfriends, According to Science

Sooner or later, most women start appreciating a beard. Just think of Chris Hemsworth and Jake Gyllenhaal — they wouldn’t be who they are without one! In fact, it seems that we like them so much, we’ve gotten to the point where we’re unconsciously using beards to rate men as boyfriends and even determine if they’re husband material.

Join our team at Bright Side in reading the results of this study that will make you reconsider what you thought about beards.

In a study done by Dr. Dixston, a psychologist at the University of Queensland, Australia, more than 8,500 women were asked to rate pictures of men according to how attractive they were and whether they thought of them more for a short-term or long-term relationship.

The result? The vast majority of women rated bearded men to be more attractive and a better option for long-term relationships, whereas men with soft beards and over-the-top beards were selected for flings or short-term relationships. But how did a bunch of scratchy facial hair become so important?

It’s simple: women are attracted to high-testosterone features. In other words, these are signs that give women the message of, “I’m mature, I can protect you and our family.” Think of broad shoulders and a low-pitched voice along with a strong jawline and facial hair.

Jawlines become more pronounced by beards and beards are good testosterone indicators in of themselves. Together, they pair attractiveness and reliability. So if you’re ever approached by a guy with a cool beard, it’s like testosterone is jumping at your face. You can’t help but find that attractive.

But there’s always an exception. Women are attracted to masculine traits but if they’re too pronounced, like an unusually full and strong beard, women will consider this man only for a short-term relationship because they find these men to be unreliable or not trustworthy enough.

What do you think, ladies? Can you confirm this study or are you a beard-free-man type of girl? Tell us why in the comments!