Men! Feel better about yourself: grow a beard!
The beard has often been viewed with suspicion (what’s he trying to hide? Weak chin?) and much-deserved derision (hipsters), but now its time may truly have arrived
MALE RUNNERS IN ISOLATION: now is the time to grow the ‘ultra’ beard! Not only will you be joining the long line of runners with exceptional facial foliage (eg ultrarunner Rob Krar: see above for all the evidence you need), but new research suggests you may also make yourself more attractive. The study, published in the scientific journal PLOS One, suggests men with facial hair are considered more swoon-worthy than their clean-shaven counterparts. Preferences for beards were highest, according to the study, in women ‘with the strongest reproductive ambition’. This is believed to be a result of the assumed (although unproven) correlation between fertility and good looks. Won’t or can’t grow a beard? Get faster, then. Another study1 suggested women are attracted to endurance-running prowess because it suggests higher levels of testosterone.