As if you needed another excuse to want to date Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds and various other bearded men, a study now suggests that men with facial hair make better boyfriends.
Researchers conducted studies in how certain facial traits affected how attractive women found them, and they used facial morphing tools to add these effects.
The research paper, published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology, shows a significant interaction between beards and masculinity on how attractive women found men – particularly when thinking about a long-term relationship.
The researchers suspect that beards indicate social dominance and may be more strongly preferred for long-term relationships. They also found that beards can help mask ‘overly feminine or masculine traits’ in a face, so can increase attractiveness.
They also found that “light and heavy stubble faces were more attractive than either full beards and clean-shaven faces.”
But there’s still more research to be done – they’re keen to investigate how social and cultural dynamics affect what kinds of beard shapes are most attractive. And can we say, we’re all for this study!
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
