Bearded men make more stable partners, Claims new study
The study involved 414 men, aged 18 to 40, and examined their motivations for enhancing their facial hair.
A new study suggests that men with beards tend to be more stable in romantic relationships and are better partners compared to their clean-shaven counterparts. According to research published in the Archives of Sexual Behaviour, men with facial hair are less interested in seeking new partners and are more committed to keeping the ones they have.
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The study involved 414 men, aged 18 to 40, and examined their motivations for enhancing their facial hair. It found that “men having more facial hair reported less mate-seeking motivation, but more mate-retention and kin care motivation.”
In simpler terms, bearded men are more likely to be committed to their current relationships, said Professor Peter Jonason, the study’s co-author from Warsaw’s University of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski. Jonason explained that bearded men tend to avoid a fast life history strategy, which involves seeking numerous partners, and instead, they invest more in their romantic and familial relationships.
The reasoning behind this, as per the study, is the effort required to maintain a well-groomed beard. “Beards, as opposed to stubble, are difficult and time-consuming to grow. Men with full beards may signal their disciplined nature,” Jonason told The Times UK.
Although maintaining a clean-shaven face also requires regular grooming, the study noted that keeping a full beard clean and well-maintained requires even more effort. This regular care and effort could be a sign that these men are more organized and disciplined, traits that might make them better long-term partners.
The study highlighted that the maintenance of facial hair was a crucial factor. “Growing bushy, unhealthy-looking, or dispersed facial hair may discredit a man rather than give him an advantage,” the study noted.
The researchers claim this is the first study to explore facial hair enhancement motivation in men and suggest that further research is needed to examine different types of facial hair.
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