Come September 3, the world would observe the World Beard Day. As the world celebrates the fabulous facial hair, let us look at a few things that scientists have discovered about beards.
World Beard Day is an annual event that celebrates the joys of having a beard. It is held on the first Saturday of September. The day became popular in recent years, with events held in many countries. Every year, World Beard Day sees more and more people getting involved and celebrating their facial hair!
Several studies have shown that men look more masculine, aggressive, dominant and strong when they have a beard. Studies have also shown that men who choose to have a beard tend to have higher testosterone levels than those who choose to be clean-shaven. A bearded man is more likely to be hostile sexists, which means they favor the patriarchy and male dominance, and think that women belong in the kitchen. These men may be using beards (and muscles) to reinforce gender roles.
BEARD; INTIMIDATE RIVALS
Some researchers note that beards could be used to intimidate male rivals by increasing perceptions of the size of the jaw and enhancing aggressive and threatening jaw-thrusting behaviors. Some others have said that people can recognize expressions of anger faster on a bearded face than on a clean-shaven face.
BEARD; MATURITY
Beards often make men look older, more mature and more credible. Some say that this was good for job-seeking men who look young for their age. However, earlier researches showed that men with beards are less likely to be offered a job than their clean-shaven counterparts. However, with times changing, bearded men are perceived as having more expertise than clean-shaven men have.
Moreover, studies showed that men having beard are useful to those working in advice-giving roles.
BEARD; SEX APPEAL
Beards do cover the signs of ageing. Another thing is that beards slow down the ageing process in the skin by protecting from the sun. The beards also protect men from wrinkles, age spots, and shaving-induced acne, which all means it enhance the sex appeal of men with small, weak-looking jaws.
Though facial hair has been incredibly unpopular in the past, they are much more well-liked now. However, research on whether women find bearded men attractive is mixed. Some studies say that women find a face displaying the ability to grow facial hair more attractive than a face with a full beard, but men with full beards are preferred for long-term relationships. Some others say that women prefer men whose beardedness matches that of their fathers.
It is also seen that men grow beard more when there are more single men to display masculinity to prospective mates.
BEARD; HEALTH
A well-groomed beard can provide a man with several health benefits. Beards can fight allergies. They also keep the wearer warm. But beards tend to have a bad rep when it comes to cleanliness. According to some studies, one can find more germs in a beard than in a dog’s fur. In fact, research has found that beard bacteria could be developed into antibiotics,something that would actually be very handy since our current stock is rapidly becoming ineffective.
However, some other studies have shown that clean-shaven men are more than ten percent likely to harbour colonies of Staphylococcus aureus — a bacterium that causes skin infections, respiratory infections, and food poisoning — on their faces than their whiskered counterparts, and more than three times as likely to be carrying MRSA around on their freshly shaven cheeks.
