This study examined the effects of facial hair on women’s judgments of men’s attractiveness, health, masculinity and parenting abilities across four levels of beardedness (clean-shaven, light stubble, heavy stubble and full beard). Our results affirm that the presence of facial hair influences perceptions of male socio-sexual attributes and imply that an intermediate beard length is deemed most attractive, while men with full beards may be viewed as more capable fathers who can provide and protect their offspring.

In line with the majority of previous studies we predict a linear positive relationship between the extent of facial hair and perceptions of aggression, masculinity, dominance, social maturity and perceived age. In short, we find that our hypotheses were supported, with level of facial hair being associated with alterations in female perceptions. Thus, as facial hair increased in a linear fashion so did female ratings of masculinity and dominance… increasing levels of facial hair were associated with increased perceptions of aggression… perceptions of social maturity increased linearly with the amount of facial hair.

The results showed that beard length (directly measured and self-reported) was not related to testosterone levels or dominance. Thus, no evidence was found to support the hypothesis that beards are honest (or dishonest) signals of the beard owners' testosterone levels and dominance.

Results showed that beards exerted significant and positive effects on masculinity, dominance and, to a lesser extent, attractiveness. Bearded faces were consistently judged higher on traits linked to status compared with clean-shaven faces, indicating that facial hair alters social trait attributions rather than reflecting underlying personality.

Beardedness is associated with high masculinity and social maturity (Neave & Shields, 2008). Presence of the beard has also been found to enhance a man’s age, provide information about his sexual maturity, presence of dominance and aggression than in comparison to faces without any beard (Addison, 1989; Craig, Nelson, & Dixson, 2019; Dixson & Vasey, 2012; Neave & Shields, 2008). The study used the 16PF personality questionnaire and examined personality traits and preference for beardedness, reporting factor C (emotional stability, adaptability and maturity) as most represented.

This study presents new evidence confirming that human personality is related to individual facial appearance. The highest correlations between observed and predicted personality scores were found for conscientiousness (0.360 for men and 0.335 for women) and the mean effect size was 0.243, exceeding the results obtained in prior studies using ‘selfies’. The authors used real-life static facial images to assess the Big Five personality traits via machine learning models.

A generally positive relationship was found between the amount of hair on a man's face and the perception of him as masculine, mature, good-looking, dominant, self-confident, courageous, liberal, nonconforming, industrious, and older. As facial hair increased from clean-shaven to full beard, ratings on these personality and social trait scales tended to increase, suggesting that beardedness is strongly associated with specific personality attributions.

Results: Beardedness exerted strong effects over clean-shaven faces on ratings of masculinity, dominance and aggressiveness. Trait ratings of masculinity, dominance, and aggressiveness rose linearly with increasing craniofacial masculinity. Participants with full beards also reported higher scores on dominance and assertiveness scales, suggesting some association between wearing a beard and self-reported personality traits related to dominance.

The most widely studied indicator is the facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR), which is found to have a positive correlation with various personality traits, including achievement drive, unethical behavior, perceived dominance, aggression, and risk-taking. The bilateral mandibular line angles were significantly negatively correlated with the scores of social boldness in male, and were significantly negatively correlated with the scores of vigilance and apprehension in female. These findings indicate links between structural facial morphology and personality traits measured by the 16PF, though they do not directly focus on beard length.

On the other hand, studies in which the assessment of men wearing beards compared to clean-shaven was conducted in informal circumstances demonstrated that wearing facial hair was perceived as associated with being enthusiastic, sincere, generous, extroverted, masculine, inquisitive, and stronger (Kenny & Fletcher, 1973; Pellegrini, 1973). Men with distinct facial hair are perceived as more aggressive, dominant, older, and more formidable, mostly by other men. The review concludes that facial hair preferences and impressions are linked to socio-sexual traits, including dominance, aggression, and perceived masculinity.

Results showed that beards exerted significant and positive effects on masculinity, dominance and to a lesser extent attractiveness. The presence of facial hair increased perceived masculinity and dominance across different levels of underlying facial shape, indicating that beards modify social trait impressions rather than directly mapping to personality traits.

This study examined how Hispanic and Iranian men perceive beards in terms of attractiveness, masculinity, and fighting ability. Men found shorter beards attractive, but longer beards were linked to increased masculinity and fighting prowess. Cultural differences were significant, with Hispanic men rating all beard lengths higher than Iranian men, highlighting that beard length affects perceived traits like masculinity and fighting ability rather than directly measured personality.

The Big Five are, collectively, a taxonomy of personality trait: a coordinate system that maps which traits go together in people’s descriptions or ratings of one another. The Big Five personality domains typically include Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism (sometimes Emotional Stability), and Openness to Experience, and are commonly assessed in research on personality and its correlates.

According to a new study published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, there is no association between beard length and men’s dominance or testosterone levels. Kowal and colleagues found that men with longer beards did not score higher on dominance or have higher testosterone than men with shorter beards or no beards, challenging ideas that beard length reflects underlying personality traits such as dominance.

Women find men with light stubble most attractive, and men with full beards as most masculine. However, the women perceived male faces with full beards as the most masculine, aggressive, and socially mature; the women also thought these men looked older. Women rated men with full beards as the highest for perceived parenting ability and healthiness. Overall, as facial hair increased, women's ratings of masculinity increased, too.

For example, Dixson and Brooks (2013) found that with increasing facial hair came higher ratings of masculinity among the Australian participants that made up their sample. Among American participants, Gray’s team found more facial hair was linked to greater perceived physical strength, and in both samples in their study, facial hair was negatively associated with ratings of friendliness. Taken together, this suggests that beards may provide cues to physical formidability and reduced friendliness in perceivers’ impressions, not necessarily actual personality.

Results showed a significant interaction between beardedness and masculinity on attractiveness ratings. Masculine faces are judged as more attractive for short-term relationships over less masculine faces, whereas beards are judged as more attractive than clean-shaven faces for long-term relationships. More masculine-looking men are rated as less warm, caring and romantic… context also had effects on ratings, with facial hair enhancing long-term attractiveness perceptions, linking beard presence to inferences about partner personality and investment.

Since the ability to grow a beard is a sign of physical maturity in men, it is naturally associated with age and grown manhood — as is evidenced by a study that found that beards were associated with maturity, power, and higher social status by both men and women. While beards are associated with dominance, power, and maturity, one study found that bearded men are perceived as 38% less generous, 36% less caring, and 51% less cheerful than their clean-shaven brethren. These results concern social perception of traits like generosity and cheerfulness rather than standardized Big Five scales.

Furthermore, desirable psychological and social traits were attributed to individuals with different hairstyles: male raters associated long hair with the image of a determined, intelligent, independent, and healthy individual, whereas short hair was associated with characteristics such as honest, caring, emotional, and feminine. The study shows that hair length, although here focused on scalp hair, triggers systematic personality attributions, suggesting that observers infer traits based on hair-related appearance cues.

Beardedness may be connected with more favorable attributions (e.g. higher rating of competence) or less favorable attributions in the context of workplace or job application. Beardedness was also associated with conservatism, unconventionality and goodness in earlier studies. These findings indicate that facial hair can be linked to perceived personality characteristics such as competence, conservatism, and unconventionality in social judgments.

The article discusses how facial hair affects perceptions of trust and attractiveness, but this influence varies depending on the man's age and beard style. According to a recent study published in Acta Psychologica, young men with light stubble are seen as more attractive, which in turn leads to higher trust levels during a trust-based economic game… younger men with light stubble received significantly more money than those who were clean-shaven or had full beards. The study found no overall impact of beard style on trust, but attractiveness and perceived age influenced trust-related behaviour, indicating nuanced social-personality inferences from beard length.

Beards are often said to increase the perception of aggressiveness in men. That is to say, men with beards are considered more aggressive, dominant, and generally given a more “manly” persona. People perceive bearded men as more trustworthy, experienced, and generally charismatic. The article notes that beard length is subconsciously tied to experience/wisdom so a longer beard often makes you appear older, but it does not measure Big Five traits directly.

Beard psychology is a complex field of research that has drawn a lot of mixed conclusions — one study showed bearded men are perceived as being more likely to commit crimes while another showed that having a beard helps you to be seen as more trustworthy. However, one thing that does remain consistent is the psychological association between beards and masculinity — a trait which is also linked to aggression. A study from 1990 evidenced this, showing both men and women associated beards with maturity and power, while a study by Professor Richard Wiseman… found that bearded men are perceived as 38% less generous, 36% less caring, and 51% less cheerful than clean-shaven men.

The traditional conclusions drawn with regards to beards and facial hair, based on numerous surveys and studies, were that a clean shave was deemed to be less attractive on a man with a boyish face, whilst the “long stubble” look was perceived to be most sexually attractive, and the full-length beard was recognized as being more paternalistic and reliable for a long term relationship. It is also no surprise that the gradations of beard length also determined the perception of how masculine and aggressive a man was. In coalition with the earlier discussed image of a fully bearded man being viewed as the more dominant and paternalistic, a study from 2014 drew the conclusion that bearded men were also regarded as being more trustworthy and reliable than others.

M. Moroń, Ł. Jach, and P. K. Jonason, "Motivations to Enhance One’s Facial Hair: Affiliation, Rivalry, and Stress," Archives of Sexual Behavior (2024). The study examines why men choose to enhance their facial hair, linking beard-growing motivations to social affiliation, rivalry, and responses to stress, suggesting that personality-related motives and socio-sexual strategies influence beard length and style.

If you have a full-length beard, studies show that your personality traits may exude aggressiveness, masculinity, and dominance. However, studies also show that full-beard men may look tough on the outside but may be kind, trustworthy, courageous, scholarly, hard-working, and committed to their goals. If you have a stubble beard, studies show that your personality traits may include leading an active lifestyle, enjoying athletic activities, indulging in adventurous activities, being daring, and being charming. These claims are framed as personality traits but are based on perceptions rather than standardized Big Five assessments.

Psychologists and social scientists have found that beard styles are linked to perception of dominance, trustworthiness, creativity, and even emotional traits. Light or heavy stubble is associated with attractiveness and confidence; studies have shown that women rate men with stubble as more masculine and more dominant than men with clean shave. In 2017, a study showed that men with a shorter beard were rated more trustworthy than men with a bigger beard. These are ratings of perceived traits, not direct measurements of the Big Five personality domains.

According to research findings men who keep their full facial hair receive reputations as being mature and dominant individuals. People often create associations between the stubble appearance and relaxing yet sophisticated personality styles, and people view stubble-bearing men as friendly and enjoyable companions who also project charming personality traits. Psychological research suggests that the facial hair may be used by people to showcase their uniqueness and self-confidence. The article uses personality labels but refers to social perceptions rather than validated Big Five scales.