Emily Chan
For some men, facial hair is a defining feature. Depending on your views of facial hair, it can make a man look either ruggedly handsome or scruffy and untidy. But why exactly do some men grow beards in the first place? It turns out that beards have a purpose other than serving as a personal characteristic that complements a guy’s face.
Facial hair is more prominent in males than females. New research has shown that a man choosing to have a beard is correlated to motivations regarding societal status. A beard can also signal a commitment to taking care of a family.
Like other primates, humans are social creatures that live according to a certain hierarchy. So, beards could represent a high status among a group of males, therefore, attracting females. Beards can tell someone’s age and their place in the group.
This suggests that men intentionally maintain the hair on their faces as a way to promote themselves. The upkeep requires a lot of time, effort, and money, though.
Researchers from the University of Silesia in Poland and the University of Padova in Italy wanted to figure out exactly why men are motivated to grow and regularly groom their beards.
Some people see bearded men as stronger, healthier, and better fighters. They were also considered more friendly and trustworthy. However, bearded men are also regarded as more aggressive and dominant. In addition, men with beards are often thought to make good fathers.
“We hypothesized that men’s striving to realize fundamental social motives might manifest through increased interest in facial hair enhancement,” explained the researchers. “Therefore, we predicted positive correlations between facial hair enhancement motivation and orientation on such fundamental social motives as self-protection, status-seeking, mate-seeking, and kin care related to children.”
The researchers surveyed 414 men between the ages of 18 and 40. The participants provided information about their facial hair. Four factors were measured, including their motivation for grooming their facial hair, fundamental social motives, gender role stress, and male competition.
For hair enhancement motivation, the researchers asked questions about the participants’ level of willingness to use professional beard and facial hair services, buy professional products, and spend time styling their facial hair.
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