This is the article from telegraph:
By Roger Dobson
Stubble is the way to win a woman’s heart, a study has shown.
Researchers found that women are more attracted to men with stubbly
chins than those with clean-shaven faces or full beards.
Women participating in the research rated men with stubble as
tough, mature, aggressive, dominant and masculine - and as the best
romantic partners, either for a fling or a long-term
relationships.
The findings of the experiment, carried out on British women
aged 18 to 44, could explain the appeal of actors such as George
Clooney and Brad Pitt who cultivate their unshaven look.
The explanation for the preference is not clear, but experts in
human evolution say that that facial hair may be a signal of
aggression because it boosts the apparent size of the lower jaw,
emphasising the teeth as weapons.
Psychologists at Northumbria University who carried out the new
study believe that stubbly men may offer women the best worlds -
not too strongly masculine, but mature and with the potential to
grow a full beard.
The researchers carried out the study using computer technology
to alter pictures of 15 men’s faces so that they displayed
different degrees of hairiness. Five levels of facial hair were
used - clean-shaven, light stubble, heavy stubble, light beard and
full beard.
The pictures were shown to 76 women who were asked to rate them
for masculinity, aggression, dominance, attractiveness, age, and
social maturity. They were also asked how desirable each man would
be as a short-term or long-term partner. Faces with full beards
were judged to be the most masculine, aggressive and socially
mature. They were also thought to look five years older.
They were rated the least attractive and the worst choice for a
short-term relationship. Men with light beards were considered the
most dominant. Those with light stubble were rated the most
attractive and as the ideal romantic partner for the short or long
term. Clean-shaven men finished bottom for masculinity, dominance,
aggression, and social maturity, and they were the least favoured
choice as a long-term partner. They came second-to-last for
attractiveness.
Writing in the journal Personality and Individual Differences,
the researchers conclude: “Facial hair, or beardedness, is a
powerful sociosexual signal, and an obvious biological marker of
sexual maturity.
"Facial hair may have been sexually selected by females on the
basis of associated male success, despite its threatening
appearance. Clean-shaven faces therefore may suggest appeasement,
as well as being an obvious sign of sexual immaturity.
"Increasing levels of facial hair were associated with increased
perceptions of aggression, in that bearded faces were perceived as
being the most aggressive, whilst clean-shaven faces were rated as
being the least aggressive. And as facial hair increased in a
linear fashion, so did female ratings of masculinity and
dominance.
"In desirability for a short-term relationship, a female
preference for male faces with stubble or light beard was found,
with clean-shaven and fully bearded faces being the least
preferred. This indicates that females are not selecting faces
displaying relatively high or low masculinity, but are rather
preferring males who are clearly mature - post-pubertal - but not
too masculinised. The same pattern was found for preferences for a
long-term relationship."
The researchers now want to extend their study internationally.
Dr Nick Neave, who carried out the study with Kerry Shields, said:
"There are large cultural differences in perceptions of facial
hair, and we are hoping to expand on this research by conducting a
large-scale study assessing female perceptions of male facial hair
in different in as many countries as possible."
