Sunday, October 20, 2013

Evolution and Relationships


There is a lot of interesting research (in my opinion) about evolution and relationships.  Some areas include: sexual attraction, women's ovulation and attraction, and same-sex attraction, among many others.

In honor of upcoming No Shave November, I chose one article related to evolutionary views on relationships.  Specifically, this article discuses women's attraction to bearded men.  Complete to following for course credit:
  • Read this article.  The article is short, so I advise you look more into these ideas if you are interested!
  • Summarize the article and provide your reaction (being sure to link to course material whenever possible).

52 comments:

  1. The article provided that discusses the reactions of both men and women regarding the length of a man’s beard is actually very interesting. It says that women prefer men with heavy stubble over all else. Reasons behind these results suggests that “beardedness affects judgments of male socio-sexual attributes and suggest that an intermediate level of beardedness is most attractive while full-bearded men may be perceived as better fathers who could protect and invest in offspring.” When the same study was looking for the results of men it found that both heavy stubble and full beards outweighed light stubble and clean-shaven. Dixson and Brooks believe that men with beards tend to appear more mature and masculine and therefore are found to be more attractive. These results seem accurate to me, for the most part. I think men with beards are attractive under a few stipulations. I agree that they look more masculine; however, it can be a turn off if it is not controlled. Having a beard requires appropriate grooming to ensure that it does not get out of hand and “bushy,” if you will. Also, I think men can pull of beards depending on their facial structure and whether or not they have the right bone structure (maybe I’m looking into this too much). When I see a man with heavy stubble or a full beard who dresses scurvy, my snap judgments tell me he dirty more so than attractive. When it comes to light versus heavy stubble there is a big difference. Men with light stubble tend to be scratching their face a lot because the hairs are just breaking through the surface. When men can’t keep their hands off their faces it almost appears as if they are trying to hide because of low self-esteem. In addition, it looks as though they simply forgot to shave rather than intending on leaving the house in that way. (And let’s get real, it feels like sandpaper to kiss a man with light stubble…) Heavy stubble is definitely the way to go. It portrays masculinity, maturity, and confidence.

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  2. I chose the blog Evolution and Relationships. The article discusses new research that women prefer men with heavy stubble over clean shaven men, light stubble and heavy beards. They conducted an experiment with a certain amount of women and certain amount of heterosexual men, who were shown pictures of four different men. One had a clean shaven face, light stubble, heavy stubble and a full beard. The experiment proved that women prefer men with heavy stubble. With their findings, they concluded that facial hair portrays a man as more established in life and manly.
    I chose this article because I disagree with it. I believe that, yes, most women probably do prefer men with heavy stubble but personally, I like clean shaven or light stubble on a man’s face. The article does make sense though because a man having more facial hair than normal seems to be the fad with men lately. I think it looks unprofessional.

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    Replies
    1. Remember, we can't "prove" anything through research...we can only suggest relationships (e.g., correlational research) and draw causal conclusions (when doing an experiment).

      Delete
  3. The article reflects the evolutionary views on attractiveness. The new fad according to researchers in Australia is men with heavy stubble. Women have shown in recent years that they prefer heavy stubble or a light beard compared to the ever so popular clean shaven look. In the journal Evolution and Human Behavior men also see heavy stubble as preferable among their peers. A study was then conducted which involve heterosexual males and females to rate a man base on three pictures: clean shaven, light stubble, and heavy stubble. Women overall favorite the heavy stubble looks. This is most likely seen due to the fact that heavy bearded men are seen as better fathers who can protect their offspring. Other men are more likely to be sensitive the masculinity of the heavy beard. Light stubble was ruled out because it was seen as being too patchy. Related to class material women want a man who can support and provide for their family. If that is what they are seeing in a man with heavy stubble obviously they are going to rate him higher on attractiveness. Women are also seen to find men more attractive if they show signs of more testosterone in their face, such as a heavy jaw line. What says testosterone like a beard? Overall my reaction is in different I personally like facial hair on some people, but it is not something that I would overly prefer in everyone’s appearance. I can see why a majority of women may prefer this though.

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  4. This article talks about how Australian researchers did a study to determine what kids of men’s facial hair is more attractive to women as well as heterosexual men. This study included 177 heterosexual men and 351 women to look at ten different photos of men’s facial hair. The pictures showed the facial hair in four different ways, clean shaven, light stubble (five days of beard growth), heavy stubble (ten days of beard growth), and full beard. The study indicated that women and men were more attracted to men with heavy stubble. The researchers conclude that facial hair makes men look more mature and masculine as well as dominant and aggressive.
    I can see why men and women said that a heavy stubble makes a man look more mature and masculine and I agree with that. But I also am very un-attracted to facial hair. When a guy has a lot of facial hair I just feel that they have not showered in a while and they don’t care about their appearance. If I were to give a man an interview and he had a heavy stubble I would be very disappointed. I know that some men groom their facial hair to make it look well-kept but there are other guys who don’t and it looks unappealing. From a girls point of view all women are mature and you don’t see women walking around with six inch leg hair. Men are disgusted by the sight of leg hair on girls and I find it to be the same concept to guys with their facial hair, if we can keep clean so can guys.

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  5. This article discusses researchers who studied the attractiveness of different types of facial hair. The study compared a clean shaven face, light stubble, heavy stubble, and a full beard. Based on the study, a heavy stubble beard was found more attractive than a light stubble face. It was found that the heavier stubble beard was more attractive because it was more full and not patchy like the light stubble. Facial hair is found to be more masculine and are seen as better fathers for their children which is why either a heavy stubble beard or full beard were perceived as more attractive to the women.
    My view on this somewhat agrees with their research. I think that a guy with heavy stubble can sometimes be attractive based on the person but others I do not find attractive at all. A full beard isn't something that I am personally attracted to but I can see why women would find it attractive. I think women find men with beards attractive because they are more masculine and manly. I also picture someone with a beard as being larger and more built than someone who does not have facial hair. It would depend on what the beard looked like on the guy but I can definitely understand how most women would prefer a man with facial hair than not having any facial hair.

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  6. This article shows the research that went into proving that heavy stubble is more attractive to females. This preference may just be another example of an evolutionary view on attractiveness. Facial hair can make a man seem more mature and masculine. Knowing this, women may look for men with facial hair because they were evolutionary programmed to do so. Looking for a man who can better father their children and protect them is what we had to do thousands of years ago. The light stubble is preferred to heavy stubble because it's less patchy.
    I believe this article hits the right points. Many women prefer men with a bit of facial hair. Many men, however, just have baby faces without it though. Baby faces aren't what women specifically seek out which is why the light stubble is preferred. Masculinity and maturity is showcased in that stubble which is what women seek. Of course, opinions will vary from person to person, but this is just what we were evolutionary programmed to do. I can see how it'd be attractive as long as it isn't too bushy looking as though poor hygiene is a concern.

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    Replies
    1. Remember, we can't "prove" anything through research...we can only suggest relationships (e.g., correlational research) and draw causal conclusions (when doing an experiment).

      Delete
  7. This article looks at women's preferences for facial hair with the clear winner being heave stubble on men. The article discusses this finding by relating it to masculinity and how men may be intimidated by men with full beards because it shows high levels of masculinity and aggression whereas heavy stubble shows just the right level of masculinity. The article also discusses how men with full beards may be seen as good fathers and willing to invest in their offspring, which relates with chapter ten and family life.

    My reaction to this article is conflicting. I think it really depends on the person as to whether or not facial hair is attractive. Some men look really good with facial hair and others just cannot pull it off. I also think it depends on the type of job the person holds as to whether or not facial hair is appropriate. If someone is working construction, stubble is not going to be a big issue, but if the person is a CEO of a company, stubble especially is going to look unprofessional.

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  8. The article discusses women's preferences when it comes to men and facial hair. Research findings indicate that beardedness affects judgments of male socio-sexual attributes and suggest that an intermediate level of beardedness is most attractive while full-bearded men may be perceived as better fathers who could protect and invest offspring. The article also talks about masculinity and how men may be intimated by other men who have full beards because it shows that they possess a lot of masculinity.

    My reaction to this article is opposite of what they say. Usually it depends on the person whether I think they look attractive with facial hair or not. I usually like men that have little to no facial hair. I think men look more clean and professional if they are clean shaven.

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  9. This article discusses the results of a study of facial hair preferences done in Australia. The results showed that women prefer men with heavy stubble over a clean-shave, light stubble, or full beard. The study also included the opinions of heterosexual men, who also preferred heavy stubble along with full beards on their peers, as opposed to light stubble or a clean shave.

    This study was done by showing 177 heterosexual men and 351 women pictures of ten men. Each man was the subject of four photos: a clean shaven photo, a photo after not shaving for 5 days (light stubble), a photo after not shaving for 10 days (heavy stubble), and a full-beard photo. The men and women were asked to rate the photos by attractiveness. Heavy stubble won among the women.

    In the abstract of the study, the researchers stated that beardedness can be used to judge a man in a socio-sexual aspect, evaluating what a beard says about what a man can bring to the table in a relationship. Researchers said that one could assume that a man with a full beard would be perceived as a future protective father figure. When men use beardedness as a tool of judgement among peers, researchers suggest that the maturity, masculinity, and aggressiveness can be measured out, being as that is what a man is sensitive to when they meet another man. Women, however, can find balance in this outlook, trying to find a partner who is masculine, but not powerful.

    Instead of researching further, I am going to provide past experience and opinion on this. In high school I dated the same guy for almost three years, so I experienced all of his different "stages" of facial hair. When I met him, we were both young and he was clean-shaven. That's the way I knew him, it's the original guy I was attracted to, it as what I was used to. As we both started growing older, he tried out different things. I told him I wasn't a fan, but it was his face and he could do what he wanted. I agree that it is true that men use this physical attribute to judge character, because he mostly did it because his friends were doing it, and he was jealous that so-and-so could grow a beard and he couldn't. At that point in time, I didn't find it attractive. Later on in life I sort of developed feelings for a guy who had a pretty good beard going on. He straight up asked me if I liked facial hair, and I had always found it to be attractive on him because he had it when I first met him. When I compared the two guys in my head, I can picture the one with the beard to be a better father, just strictly by appearance (and by personal experience with both their personalities). Also, when I look at pictures of my dad back in the day when he had a mustache, and I look at him now without one, I just think he looks more like a dad with a mustache than without. I found this article to be pretty accurate and also pretty interesting!

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  10. This article talks about how a new study from Austrlia finds that women like heavy stubble over a clean shaven look. The researchers says that facial hair makes a man look more mature and masculine as well as more dominant and aggressive. The researchers then asked the women and men to rate the ten men in the photos according to their attractiveness, they found that heavy stubble to be the clear winner among women.

    I have to say that I agree, I like a the stubble. It does make guys look for masculine and we as a like rugged, which can be hot. Sometimes guys with a clean shave remind me of a little boy who can not grow any facial hair. Like have you seen a picture of Bordy Jenner with some stubble...hot! But I think it also depend on who the guy is, sometimes it just doesn't work for some guys.

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  11. This article outlines the effect of facial hair on men have on their attractiveness to woman. The study consists of 4 pictures of many males. Each male had a picture with no facial hair, light stubble, heavy stubble, and a full beard. The research found that woman rated the men with heavy stubble the most attractive. Why is this? According to the article facial hair makes men seem more mature and masculine. This is a trait woman like. The article also stated that light stubble lost to heavy stubble was because it just looked to patchy. I think that facial hair can be attractive. It must be groomed. I think that stereotypes can come from facial hair as well. For example, business or men in a professional business setting are supposed to be clean shaven. At the same time, men with full beards might be looked at less professional and have a blue collar job. As our culture evolves I think that facial hair becomes less of a issue. I mean we already have a whole month dedicated to it. I believe that bottom line is if a man can pull of facial hair. If a man looks more attractive with facial hair he will be more likely to get away to always having it. For me personally, a full beard is not very attractive. All I get out of the deal is chapped lips. I think that some scruff is appropriate, but clean shaven is the way to go.

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  12. I found this article to be very interesting. They talked about how a study showed the heavy stubble is found to be more attractive than a full beard or clean shaven. They had both heterosexual men and women look at pictures of subjects that had light stubble, heavy stubble, clean shaven, and full beard. The test resulted in the heavy stubble to be most attractive. They believe that this could be because heavy stubble is seen as a sign of dominance, more mature and more masculine. They think that a full beard is seen as to masculine or dominant by heterosexual males and fatherly by females. There is a fine line of facial hair being attractive and seen as masculine and mature and as seen being too masculine and intimidating.

    I agree with what the study found. I find guys with facial hair to be attractive. I think it makes them looked mature and strong.

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  13. I found this article to be rather interesting especially after reading the title. This study discussed how researchers in Australia showed that women prefer men with heavy stubble or light stubble over clean shaven face to be more attractive. This study was conducted at the University of New South Wales by professors Barnaby J. Dixon and Rob C. Brooks. They showed photos of ten men smiling to 177 heterosexual men and 351 women. Each of the four pictures was of the same man with a cleanly shaven face, 5 days without shaving, 10 days without shaving, and a full beard. The participants were then asked to rate the pictures in order from most attractive to least attractive. The full beard won in a landslide! The study suggested that man with beards perceive to be better fathers who could protect and put time forth into their offspring. Male facial hair suggests that the men are more mature, masculine, dominant, and more aggressive. The study states that women tend to select a competitive masculine partner over a too masculine man.
    I agree with this article to a extent. I think that facial hair is quite attractive. The men are seen as masculine and mature but once it gets to the point of a full on beard I have to say I'd prefer the stubble of 5 to 10 days without shaving but that's just personal preference!

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  14. In the article "Beard Study Shows Heavy Stubble Makes Men Especially Attractive To Women" a researcher from Australia conducted a study that showed that women prefered men with heavy stubble over those who were clean shaved, has little stubble, or who were fully bearded. There was a study conducted which had 177 heterosexual men and 351 women. The participants were then shown picture of 10 different men. Each men was shown in 4 different ways. These included clean-shaven, light stubble, heavy stubble, and fully bearded. Then, the participants were asked to rate the men based on their attractiveness in each picture. Women picked heavy stubble as being the most attractive. Facial hair seems to make a man more mature, masculine, dominant, and aggressive. Relating the study to class material, we talked about mate selection and about prefered attractiveness. The fitest survive. We want to pass on traits of attractiveness and strength, so we mate with people who we think meet these qualifications. In class, we also talked about what makes someone attractive. Girls find men who are more mascline, squared hair line, and a bigger and more rounded jaw line to be the most attractive. For the most part, I agree with this article. I find heavy stubble to be the most attractive. However, I would prefer clean-shaven or light stubble to a fully bearded look. I do not like big beards at all. I find them gross and unattractive.

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  15. This article discusses how women tend to find men with heavy stubble more attractive then men that are clean shaven, have light stubble, or full-grown beards. They conducted a study in which women had to rate guys on attractiveness on each of the four levels (of beards) and heavy stubble was found to be most attractive. It also states that more facial hair can signify masculinity, which makes sense as to why women would be attracted to this characteristic. I found this article to be interesting, but not surprising. My boyfriend, who I have been dating for two years, generally has light or heavy stubble going on and I find that to be more attractive then if he is completely clean shaven or say, if he would happen to participate in no shave November . . . However, clean shaven can potentially look more professional. Overall, I really think it depends on the guy, because some men can pull off the full bearded look, however some men definitely can’t.

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  16. The article discussed how heavy stubble and full beards on ones masculinity. It discussed how men with full beards are thought of as protective. Look back throughout evolution and the early pictures depicting cave people all the elders had beards. They were thought of as the protector and provider. The article also discussed on how the light stubble has lost out to the heavy stubble and to full beards. It didn't discuss it in the article but some cultures look at light stubble as a boy, one coming into their adulthood. Although a lot of people find this to be more attractive then clean shaven, some employers require the men in the company to be clean shaven. Although some guys can look very professional with heavy stubble or full beards it is just not a professional look. As a male looking at the pictures of the guys they are probably not rating it so much on the attractiveness but on the masculinity of the guy. Growing up with my elders all having full beards, you look at them as great providers and protectors.

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  17. The article discusses the attraction level of men with varying levels of facial hair and no facial hair at all. The research found that both men and women find men with heavy stubble to be most attractive. Heavy stubble may be an indicator of manliness or masculinity. This may also be an indicator of maturity, dominance, and aggressive behavior, which women find attractive.

    I both agree and disagree with this article. I do find men with heavy stubble to be attractive, but I am not sure if I find them any more or less attractive than men with no facial hair. Light stubble seems patchy to me, while full beard just freaks me out a little. I feel like if a man is going in for an interview or is trying to look professional, he may want to be clean-shaven. However, some men look very young without facial hair and believe that the facial hair makes them look their correct age. In this case, I believe the man should stick with the heavy stubble. It is strange, because I have never really thought about it but facial hair does play a part in sex appeal as well. I prefer men with either no facial hair or heavy stubble.

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  18. This article talks about why men and women find beards attractive. Men find beards attractive in their peers because they associate beards with domination and aggression, which men often respect in each other. Women find beards attractive because, according to evolution, they signify a man who can produce strong offspring and take care of them.
    The fact that men found beards in other men attractive surprised me. I didn’t think they would find much of a difference between men who were clean shaved and men who had a full beard. I was also surprised by the fact that most women found bearded men more attractive than clean shaved men. I thought that women would be picker and that most would go for the clean shaven look because that’s what a lot of us are used to seeing and because it’s a “cleaner” look. I personally prefer that my boyfriend keeps his facial hair under control because I think beards are scruffy, and not in a hot way. I associate beards with being unkempt and not taking care of oneself. To me they also show laziness.
    The research helped me understand why women think beards are attractive. I also wonder how many guys are going to show up to class with beards next week.

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  19. This article deals with the attractiveness level of men with varying levels of facial hair. The research shows that woman seem to find men with more facial hair more attractive. This is because facial hair is looked at as masculine and manly. Furthermore, men with facial hair are looked at as mature and aggressive. These are traits women prefer. This ties in with last chapter,(love and relationships) because the article was all about what woman find attractive in men. I found this article comical. I do think men with some facial hair is attractive so that results did not surprise me. I never knew why I found it attractive. However, it makes a lot more sense now.

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  20. A research team from the University of New South Wales discovered that men are found most attractive when they have approximately ten days of beard growth. They discovered this by presenting photos of ten smiling men to 177 heterosexual men and 351 women. The men in the photos were shown in four stages: clean shaven, light stubble (5 days), heavy stubble (10 days) and a full grown beard. Heavy stubble was then found to be the most attractive. The researchers hypothesize that facial hair makes men appear to be more mature, masculine, dominant, and aggressive. The reason why heavy stubble was chosen over light stubble is that it is less patchy, therefore making it less attractive. When I clicked on the "ten smiling men" portion of the article it lead me to a more in depth overview of the article. In it it mentions that women were asked where they were on their menstrual cycles and if they were taking oral contraceptives. They found that oral contraceptives did not alter their perception of attraction but those ovulating found the men with more facial hair to be more attractive. I thought this was interesting considering we recently talked about attraction and the video we watched talked about the influence of a women's cycle on attraction.
    This article caught my attention as I know several people who participate in No Shave November. I guess for me it depends on the guy. Some guys I know are more attractive when they are clean shaven but others are more attractive with facial hair. I think it depends on how well they can grow the facial hair. I agree with the participants in that stubble is not attractive if it is patchy.

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  21. This article describes woman’s attractiveness to bearded men. The study concluded that woman prefer heavy stubble. This may be in part because men with stubble are considered more mature and masculine. It was interesting that heavy stubble beat out lighter stubble, but the research suggested there may need to be a threshold for the beard to be considered an attractive trait. This relates to several topics we have discussed in class including physical attractiveness, self-esteem and confidence. Growing up in a small town in South Dakota, many of the guys grew full beards in the winter due to cold. It was definitely a different look. I have never really thought about my personal attraction to a beard. The research is logical that a man would look masculine and mature, two traits that woman find attractive.

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  22. This article shows the work of researchers that have found that both men and women find men more attractive with a heavy stubble beard than having a clean shave on their face. Men with heavy stubble where found to look more manly and aggressive which women and some men find more attractive when looking for a partner. Males with fuller beards were seen as being good fathers and who would be highly involved with their children's lives. I found this article very interesting because I never really thought about a guy being more attractive because of his beard, but when I think about it I find this more attractive as well. I agree with the article that it makes the man look more mature and manly (and what girl doesn't love that).

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  23. In this article they discuss how women prefer men with heavy stubble over men with light stubble, a heavy beard, and clean shaven. Studies suggest that they prefer it because it shows more testosterone. Men would be better fathers that can protect their families. I some what agree with this article. I prefer men with a little stubble rather then heavy stubble though. It shows more manliness and more aggressiveness.

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  24. This article is about men and facial hair. The article states that women prefer men with more facial hair rather than men that are clean shaven or have stubble. The studies suggest women prefer these men because the more facial hair, the more the men seem like more mature and more masculine. In my own opinion I don't prefer either of them over another.

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  25. This article discusses if facial hair on a man is attractive. They did a study in Australia that compared the amount of facial to their attractiveness level that women found them. The results show that women preferred men with heavy stubble compared to those who where clean shaven, had little stubble, or had a full beard. The heavy stubble shows that the men are mature and manly but the full beard is too much. They want a man that can protect them and their children but not be to overly aggressive. Women have to be particular when making the decision of who they want to have children with. This article was interesting and I do agree that stubble makes a man more masculine. It depends on the man if stubble looks good or not.

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  26. This article explains a study done in Australia on men with facial hair. They found out that women prefer men with heavy stubble over clean shaven, light stubble or full beards. Ten men were photographed in all four stages of facial hair growth and shown to 177 men and 351 women. When the researchers asked the men and women to rate the men on attractiveness, the pictures with heavy stubble was the clear winner. This amount of facial hair is ideal because a full beard may be thought of as too much testosterone, but clean shaven is too little. Also light stubble is said to be too patchy and lacks density and distribution. However when the men were judging the other men, they found that they like clean shaven more because full beards is connected with aggression and competition.

    Now that I think about it, I do prefer guys that have some facial compared to the men that are clean shaven or full bearded. For me, I like the area between 5-10 day stubble but not too much. It may look good on some, but others should stick with lighter stubble. The comparison of facial hair and testosterone makes sense because most women want a manly man, not a feminine guy. However, too much testosterone could come off as a daddy figure or aggressive.

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  27. This article shows women's preference to men’s facial hair. It is clear that women like heavy stubble over light stubble or clean shaven. The article discusses this deeper by relating their findings to masculinity and aggression and how men may be intimidated by other men with full beards. Women look for a man with just the right level of masculinity. The article also talks about how bearded men may be seen as better fathers and more mature, which is something we discussed last week from chapter nine about what women look for in men. I agree with this article, I like beards. I think they make guys look manlier. However, beards just don’t work for some guys and that’s okay too!

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  28. The article discusses a study done regarding female attraction to men based on their amount of facial hair. Heterosexual males were also asked to rate the men on attractiveness. 177 heterosexual men and 351 women were shown photos of 10 smiling men. In addition, each man was shown four times-once while clean shaven, once with five days of beard growth, once with 10 days of beard growth, and once with a full beard. Subjects were then asked to rate the men in the photos based on their attractiveness. Heavy stubble received the highest overall attractiveness rating. These findings appear to confirm that facial hair can affect opinions regarding a male’s socio-sexual attributes. It may be that men with a full beard, as opposed to heavy stubble, are considered more fatherly-perhaps would make a better father to a woman’s children, rather than be the most physically attractive. Beards suggest masculinity, which may be why other males prefer a slightly less “intimidating” male to one with a full beard. Light stubble (five day beard growth) may simply be not enough beard to provide the masculine cues of heavy stubble.

    I think it is fairly accurate that women may be more attracted to heavy stubble than a fresh face. However, I think it really depends on the age of the women, something this article neglected to mention. I remember when my siblings and I were younger, we would always make fun of my mother, who loves beards and always asked my dad to grow one year-round instead of just in the winter. However, as I’ve grown up, I have come to find it attractive when a guy has some stubble (I think light stubble looks like laziness, even dirty, but heavier stubble looks much better). Unfortunately, I hate the way it feels, especially when in close proximity to my face. Beards are masculine, just as anything a man can do that a female cannot. A full beard is a sign of testosterone, of adulthood, almost of healthiness in a way. I think it may be part of our evolutionary programming to be attracted to a beard, but perhaps social programming to prefer a "cleaner" look.

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  29. The topic of this article pertained to facial hair on men and how attractive it is to both women and other men. To find the connection between beards and attraction, Australian researchers showed photographs of ten men with varying levels of beard growth to women and heterosexual men. The study results showed that women were most attracted to the photos of men who sported heavy stubble (10 days of beard growth). Reasons for this reaction could be that facial hair looks more masculine and powerful than a clean-shaven face; in addition, fully-bearded men are seen as protective and potentially better fathers. Male reactions to facial hair, however, showed that men may be intimidated by full beards, as a greater amount of facial hair signals a level of too-high aggression. According to this study, researchers suggest that heavy stubble is more attractive than light due to a "threshold of density and distribution" that may need to be reached before the facial hair is perceived as attractive.
    For me, whether or not facial hair is attractive depends more on the person than the amount. A clean-shaven face looks more professional and suitable for corporate men, but a few days' worth of beard growth is attractive also. However, contrary to this study, I don't really like the look of a full beard. Facial hair does tend to make a man look more masculine, but a full beard just seems like too much. From a biological standpoint, I think women tend to be attracted to facial hair because of the maturity and masculinity it suggests.

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  30. In this article it looks at the attractiveness between different types/amounts of facial hair. The research in this article suggests that heavy stubble is more attractive to females. Those with heavier facial hair are seen to be better mate choices and that they have good genes for fathering. Heavier facial hair could be seen as more attractive because it is probably not as patchy as lighter facial hair. Personally I don’t have a preference when it comes to facial hair but I can see why females would prefer heavier facial hair. Clean shaven or full facial hair is more preferable than patchy, uneven hair.

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  31. This article was about an Evolution and Human Behavior study that looked at the attractiveness of bearded men with heavy stubble. The study was conducted at the University of New South Wales. The researchers presented 177 heterosexual men and 351 women with ten smiling faces of men that were presented over stages as their beards grew. Then the men were rated according to their attractiveness. The results were loud and clear. The heavy stubble was the clear winner among the clean cut shaved men. The researches concluded that this could be because the bearded men and perceived as possibly being better fathers to protect children because they appear to be more mature and masculine and possibly also dominant and aggressive.

    I would agree with these results. Personally I find clean shaved men to look much younger and I think that a little stubble does add some maturity to the man. However, it does depend on the circumstances and maybe the occupation of the male and what he does for a job. There will be a difference between a business professional and a fireman. This idea links to course material because we talked about how a lot of times we as women search for partners that we think are more attractive based on the idea of thinking about the future and our children. The results support this topic that we discussed in class.

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  32. The article is about how in a study in Australia showed that women preferred guy with heavy stubble or a fall beard compared to light stubble or clean shaven. They say that is it because they come off more masculine, also the males feel more masculine when they have facial hair. I find the article to be very interesting for the fact that I am one person who isn’t a fan of facial hair, so I would pick the clean shaven or light stubble versus the more popular option.

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  33. This article explained the concept of attraction between males and females. The article explained that women are more attracted to men with facial hair as oppose to men with clean shaven faces. The research was constructed by women looking at men's pictures with different lengths of facial hair. It is believed that women are more attracted to men with facial hair because it means they are more father like and are more likely to be a good caregiver. In the lecture we learned about attraction between males and females. Females are attracted to males because they think they will be someone good to mate with. Being a good father is something all women hope it have in a husband. By this study it is suggested that men with facial hair are better fathers.

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  34. This article talks about how women are attracted to facial hair. A study that was conducted in Australia found that women prefer men with heavy stubble compared to clean-shaven guys. Facial hair was also favored by men compared to the clean shave look. 177 heterosexual men and 351 women were shown photos of 10 smiling men with four different types of facial hair. They were then asked to rate the men in the photos. Again, heavy stubble was the clear winner. The beard may represent that the men who have them will be better fathers who could protect and invest in their offspring. The facial hair also makes men seem more mature and masculine than the clean shaven face. This is very interesting because I know quite a few woman who prefer bearded men so seeing a study on it is kind of funny.

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  35. This article is very interesting in the fact that it studies physical attractiveness based on facial hair and the way that women associate facial hair with testosterone and masculinity, where socially it seems we advocate for the clean shaven look rather than facial hair. The study states that of both the female and male subjects that they studied, the overwhelming majority chose the more attractive picture to be that of the man with 10 days of stubble. I honestly wasn't that surprised by this. I am a man who generally grows his facial hair out. Now I personally have a beard with a length longer than 10 days, but I have noticed from experience that women generally do like a little facial hair.

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  36. This article discussed a study that was done comparing the attractiveness of facial hair. Male and female participants were shown ten pictures of men with different amounts of facial hair and were asked to rate them on attractiveness. The results showed that most women prefer men with heavy stubble as opposed to light stubble, clean-shaved, and full frown beards. This has to do with the fact that more facial hair is correlated to a man being a good father figure, protective, and a good caregiver. I do not think that only using ten pictures of men was a very accurate way to conduct the study, but I do agree with the results. I, myself, am more attracted to men with heavy stubble versus no facial hair or full beards. There are only certain people who can pull of full beards, but stubble, on the other hand, is pretty common and looks good on almost any man in my opinion.

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  37. This article discusses study from Australia that shows how heterosexual women prefer heavy stubble over a clean shaven look in their partners. Facial hair was found to be more masculine and associated with higher testosterone levels, which signals to women that these men will be more likely to father children and be better fathers. The more facial hair, heavy stubble or full beard, the more testosterone and the more attractive. Women prefer the heavy stubble slightly more than the full beard probably due to it being cleaner and more socially acceptable and still signals high levels of testosterone.

    I personally like guys with some facial hair. It's certainly not a requirement or anything, but it is attractive. I think it makes them look older and less like high schoolers. Facial hair can look really bad on some guys especially mustaches. So when in doubt guys, just shave.

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  38. This article explains how women and even men are more attracted to men with heavy stubble or a beard. Participants rated four different photos of men with their progression of growing a beard. First was a clean-shaven face, then five days of beard growth, then 10 days of beard growth, and lastly was a full beard. The heavy stubble or 10 days of beard growth was the photo that showed more interest or attractiveness to men and women. Men that have facial hair are said to be more masculine and mature. Women may find facial hair as a protective aspect, for example, her bearded boyfriend will seem more aggressive or stronger with a beard towards other males.

    Obviously every woman will have their own opinion on facial hair on men. For me, this study goes right alone with what I am attracted to in a man. The light stubble shows their masculine side and without a heavy beard shows that they are conscious about cleaning up nicely.

    I looked up the women’s hair length as a relation to attractiveness in men. Men say that they prefer long hair, but why? Within this article, there are several reasons as to why long hair length on women is preferred. According to the evolution theory a woman’s length of hair explains genetic strength and internal health. Another study explains that longer hair complements a woman’s jawline, such as making it look slimmer and less prominent. Long hair also shows more of a feminine and young side to women.

    Here is the link about men attracted to longer hair more: http://www.hairfinder.com/tips/men_prefer_long_hair.htm

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    Replies
    1. Great addition about looking at length in women's hair! I like that you found interest in looking beyond what was required of you!

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  39. The provided article spoke of how a research done in Australia found that women prefer heavy stubble over men that are clean shaven, have light stubble, or have full beards. Men think that full bears and heavy stubble will be most appealing to women. The study was with 177 men and 251 women, and they were asked to rate a man’s attractiveness at different period throughout the beard growth phase. Heavy stubble was the clear winner for attractiveness while men with full beards were seen to be the best fathers for they could protect their offspring. Facial hair makes a man seem more masculine, dominant, aggressive, and mature.

    This makes sense when you look at evolution in relation to attractiveness. A beard/ facial hair has always been seen as a sign of masculinity. Men and women can both recognize that fact. The fact that a person is seen to be a better father when they have a full beard is funny, because most fathers I know do have facial hair. I personally have never seen my father without his mustache, which, since I was a child, made me believe that have a mustache to become a father. Sadly I am 23 and still I cannot really grow facial hair. It has been the hardest struggle of my adult life to deal with this.

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  40. The article looks at women’s preference to men’s facial hair. The article makes it clear that women prefer heavy stubble rather than light stubble or a clean-shaven face. They also hypothesize that facial hair makes men seem more mature and masculine but it can also make the man seem dominant and aggressive. I personally can understand how facial hair can make a man look more mature but I find it hard to believe that a beard can make a man look more dominant. The looking more mature and masculine could obviously be a reason why women prefer heavy stubble to clean-shaven but I think the aggressive and dominant look would be seen as a negative attribute. I think some guys can have beards and they look good but when the wrong guys try to grow beards they come in looking patchy and the guys generally just look homeless.

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  41. This article discussed a research study in which 177 heterosexual men and 351 women looked at pictures of men sporting beards at different stages. The study concluded that the men that had heavy stubble were preferred over men with no beard, light stubble, or a full beard. The study suggests that men with a full beard may be perceived as better fathers that can protect their children, leading to the idea that facial hair makes men seem more masculine and mature. The amount of facial hair a man has might be threatening to other men . Heavy stubble is also more attractive to light stubble because light stubble is perceived as being too patchy. I don’t necessarily agree with this study. I find my boyfriend attractive and he is most of the time clean shaven. Every now and then he lets his facial hair grow out, but it usually only reaches the light stubble stage, at which point it is usually prickly. On the other hand I have a friend who has been growing facial hair since 5th grade, and currently has a full on beard. However I think this makes him look like a lumber jack, and it looks much better when he trims it up.

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  42. Basically the article just states that women and men alike like men who have heavy stubble as opposed to any other facial hair or non-facial hair. It is most attractive to women, and it is least competitive to men. I agree with the article, I think that heavy stubble is attractive on men. It also brings about the topic of evolution and subconscious decisions that humans make. Women could unconsciously be attracted to facial hair, or they are attracted to it, because it can be a sign of masculinity and health, which in turn can be signs of good fertility and men and women are ultimately looking for a mate that can give their children the best genes in order to have the best chances of survival. Men on the other hand see full beards as more of a threat then heavy stubble, which explains why they don’t feel as much competition from them.

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  43. This article talks about how women and heterosexual men see attractiveness in beards. These men and women were showed pictures of 10 men at different stages of breads: clean shave, light stubble, heavy stubble, and full beard. These men and women had to rate how attractive these men are. This article suggests that heavy stubble and full bearded men were said to be more attractive. The study shows that men with heavy stubble and full beards are more mature, masculine, dominant, and aggressive compared to men who are cleaned shaved and with light stubble.
    I would definitely have to agree with this. I asked three of my female friends what they find more attractive and they all said that heavy stubble was the most attractive for them. I thought it was kind of interesting how we all agreed that they are more masculine, which we obviously like. I asked a few more friends what they thought and they said just some sort of facial hair because clean shaved look more like a boy compared to a man. I also thought that this study was different; I have never really thought about people actually doing studies to see what we find more attractive in beards.

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  44. This article was talking about the same thing we talked and watched in our last class. This underlining motive to find the best genes for your off spring seems to be the drive of all attractiveness. This study looked at what type of facial hair was the most attractive. This study is a little bias because the study only used 10 different face and broke them up into categories of four, these categories are cleanly shaven, 5 day stubble, 10 day full stubble, and full on beard. The study found that the full on beard was a little much for most people but it did beat out the clean shaven men. The most popular was the 10 day full stubble. This beat out the clean shave and the 5 day stubble because it showed (or gave the operation) of more testosterone. In order to pull this 10 day full stubble off the man needs to be able to grow a full non patchy beard. This is just another study that shows that proves human motivation is bases on how good genes are and how good they can carry on their family.

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  45. The article "Beard Study Shows Heavy Stubble Makes Men Especially Attractive To Women" talks about how women prefer heavily stubbled beards compared to full beards because stubbled beards are more attractive. Women prefer a more attractive look to a the look of being a fatherly figure and protector, which full beards tend to present. What was most surprising about this article is that men also chose stubble beards and full beards to be more attractive and dominant so it seems to be right in presenting an evolutionary factor in which men are likely growing stubble beards in order to attract the female gender. For me, I really don't pay attention to the evolutionary benefit of growing a stubble beard. However, I do complement my friends when they grow a full beard and keep it neat because that is something that I am too lazy to do for myself and it just seems like something we men just like to have fun with and complement each other or compete on. Beards are awesome either way.

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  46. This article, and the video, discussed the topic of attractiveness of beards. A group of men and women were to look at a series of photos of men that were clean shaven, five-day stubble, ten-day stubble, and a full on beard and rate the attractiveness of the photos. The result was that the men with the ten-day stubble and a full beard were more attractive than the five-day stubble and the clean shaven men. The reasoning that could be behind the way the men and women rated these photos could be due to scientists found that men with beards or a ten-day stubble seemed to be more mature (looking), dominant, and aggressive compared to the men with five-day stubble and clean shaven men.
    I would agree, men with a week long stubble or a beard are very attractive. I had this conversation with my two roommates last year. One of them agreed with me by stating men with facial hair are more attractive than men without facial hair. My other roommate said that they don't look put together or look dirty. So I would have to say that it is really a personal preference more than a scientific fact formed through research.

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  47. This article discusses a study done in Australia that found that the women in the study preferred a man’s facial hair to be at a heavy stubble instead of clean-shaven, light stubble, or a full beard. It talks about men with full beards were seen as more father figures and father material. There definitely was a time many men had beards and was the father figure look. I do not really have an opinion on the article per say. I know girls who like men clean-shaven and girls who like men with beards. I think it depends on the man a lot too and his beard growing abilities. I myself wish I could grow a better beard and am jealous of my friends that can.

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  48. In this article it talks about why men with heavy stubble for facial hair are more attractive than clean shaven men. They did a study where they showed pictures of the same men as they progressively obtained more facial hair and then showed them to both men and women. The results were significantly mainly for the more facial hair picture of the subject. More facial hair tends to mean that the man is more masculine, but full on beardedness men are perceived to potentially become a better father. Stubble says that women also perceive men to be more attractive and a great protector. Those men are more dominant and aggressive. I have never thought about how facial hair makes a man more strong or dominant, but I do agree on how it makes them more attractive. I agree with the article when it said that heavy stubble is better than light stubble due to it looking patchier. Being clean shaven is fine and that actually looks better if a man can’t grow a beard and it has a lot of patches. Some women don’t like full beards because it makes men look dirtier and not as put together, but I enjoy full beards as well and think that if it’s maintained properly it is more sexually attractive than just stubble.

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  49. The article is the findings of a study the wanted to know what women found more attractive: clean shaven, light stubble, heavy stubble, or a full beard. The study found that women prefer men with heavy stubble over the rest. The researchers theorize that the facial hair symbolizes maturity and masculinity and a full beard would be more likely to invest and protect their offspring.

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