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Beards Make Men Seem Less Trustworthy, Study Suggests

By Odunmorayo Oke

05 August 2024   |   5:54 pm

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A study has found that a man's facial hair can significantly impact how he is perceived by others. The research, conducted by a team at McMaster University, revealed that clean-shaven men are considered up to three times more trustworthy than those with beards. In fact, a mere 13% of participants in the study viewed facial…

A study has found that a man’s facial hair can significantly impact how he is perceived by others. The research, conducted by a team at McMaster University, revealed that clean-shaven men are considered up to three times more trustworthy than those with beards. In fact, a mere 13% of participants in the study viewed facial hair as a sign of trustworthiness.

Attractiveness of men with beards

However, the researchers also discovered that facial hair influences perceived attractiveness as well. Individuals with facial hair were viewed as less attractive by another sex. Specifically, men with less facial hair were rated as the most attractive by women and were preferred for both short-term and long-term relationships.

Additionally, the study suggests that females may prefer males who can grow a beard because it indicates physical maturity, but they tend to dislike full beards as those are seen as indicative of high levels of aggression and dominance.

This aligns with previous research that has “heavily supported” the claim that facial hair is an indicator of aggression.

Correlation between facial hair and aggression

The researchers note that facial hair growth is dependent on testosterone levels, and testosterone is correlated with aggression. Then facial hair is considered a cue for aggressive behaviour.

Furthermore, an aggressive appearance, the researchers found, is negatively associated with trustworthiness. To test this, they had participants play a series of economic games for real money. Some of the opponents’ faces were digitally altered to appear either more or less wide. This is a known indicator of aggression and trustworthiness.

The results showed that participants were more likely to trust men with narrower faces than those with wider faces. Since beards can give the illusion of a wider jawline, this suggests that bearded men are perceived as less trustworthy.

This is the first study to directly assess the influence of facial hair on judgments of trustworthiness. The study’s findings conclude that by simply growing a beard, men may be decreasing how trustworthy they are to others.

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While the sample size was relatively small, with only 21 university students participating, the researchers believe the results have important implications.

They suggest that men seeking to appear more trustworthy, such as in professional or leadership roles, may benefit from maintaining a clean-shaven appearance.