Today, growing a beard is not just reserved for mountain or holy men. Every dude seems to be sporting a beard these days, from A-list celebrities to kombucha tea baristas at hipster cafes. The sudden resurgence of the beard is largely due to hipster culture and celebrities like Jason Momoa, David Beckham, and funnyman Nick Offerman. It makes dudes feel manly, and you can't sport a man bun without a well-trimmed beard. If you're finally thinking of joining the beard craze and starting to grow one, you might want to look into these 7 scientifically proven side effects of growing a beard.
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00:00Beards are in
00:01The bearded look was once reserved for mountain men and lumberjacks, but just about anyone
00:06can rock a beard these days.
00:07But what does all this scruff mean for men's faces?
00:10Here are scientific effects that happen when a man grows a beard.
00:14Attraction is a matter of personal taste, but in general, the majority of people find
00:18men with beards to be more attractive than men without beards.
00:21So you got rid of the beard?
00:23Yes, I did.
00:24Oh, that was kinda cool.
00:26You feel the same way about it?
00:28Yeah, you look smaller.
00:29Weaker.
00:30M'kay.
00:31Ha!
00:32According to a study by the University of Queensland, over 8,000 heterosexual women
00:36were surveyed, and on average, they preferred men with at least some scruff.
00:41Dudes with 5 o'clock shadow were seen as better one-night-stand propositions, whereas men
00:45with fuller beards were assessed as better long-term partners.
00:48And another study found that gay men agree, as they gave higher ratings to men with beards.
00:52You know who looks good in a beard?
00:53Dumbledore.
00:54Why is this the case?
00:56Well, according to Psychology Today, studies have shown that men with beards are genetically
01:00regarded as more masculine, dominant, and socially mature, as well as more responsible.
01:05The one downside is that studies show people consider men with beards to look angrier and
01:09more aggressive as well.
01:11According to a study by researchers at the University of Queensland, who apparently are
01:15fascinated by beards, having facial hair reduces your exposure to sunlight by about one-third
01:19compared to a clean-shaven face.
01:21In fact, beards can offer the equivalent of up to a 21 UPF, making it nature's sunscreen.
01:27This protection actually keeps the skin on a man's face looking younger as well, which
01:31is why when your Uncle Joe shaved for the first time in 40 years, he looked younger
01:35than you.
01:36Talk to me, beard.
01:37Talk to me.
01:38What do you want to be?
01:41Ever wonder why Santa sports that giant fluff bag on his chin?
01:45The answer is pretty obvious, actually.
01:47Having all that hair helps keep a man's face warmer, which would be particularly handy
01:51if you lived at the North Pole.
01:52Where do you think you're going?
01:55Norse.
01:57According to Popular Science, these hairy scarves keep the skin underneath one degree
02:01warmer than it is in unguarded areas, which might sound small, but definitely makes a
02:05big difference.
02:06Strangely enough, though, a study published by the British Journal of Dermatology found
02:10that beard hair actually grows faster in the summer and slows down during the winter, so
02:14men who want to keep their faces warm at Christmas better start growing out their beards on the
02:18Fourth of July.
02:20Men don't choose whether or not to grow a beard, they can only choose if they want to
02:23shave it off.
02:24And there are good reasons not to shave.
02:26Most people who shave experience some degree of skin irritation, and even ingrown hairs,
02:30both of which can be avoided by letting the beard grow.
02:32As Vox points out, workplace beard bans marginalize men who possess thicker, curlier types of
02:37facial hair.
02:38Dealing with ingrown hairs is bad enough, but for many men, frequent shaving can also
02:42cause permanent scarring, razor bumps, dark marks, and even infections.
02:49That's not funny.
02:50That is not funny!
02:53Hey, you've only got a short time left on this Earth, and do you really want to spend
02:563,350 hours of it standing in front of a mirror, scraping sharp metal against your cheeks?
03:02According to the New York Times, that's how long the average man spends shaving during
03:05his lifetime.
03:06No matter how hard, how often, or how aggressive you shave, your bristles will grow back a
03:11little every day.
03:12Now zoom in on all those little facial hairs and picture them as a forest of tree trunks.
03:16The perpetual act of chopping them down, day after day, seems like a lumberjack's endless
03:20existential nightmare.
03:22The whole poopy beard scare of 2015 will not be forgotten any time soon, but for those
03:27who missed it, that year saw headlines blow up about a so-called study claiming beards
03:32carried more fecal particles than a toilet bowl.
03:34Gross, right?
03:35Luckily, it turns out the whole thing was bogus.
03:38In fact, the opposite is actually true.
03:40A study published by the Journal of Hospital Infection took samples from 408 male hospital
03:45workers, both with and without beards, and it was found that clean-shaven faces were
03:49three times more likely to be carrying MRSA bacteria — yikes! — than hairy ones.
03:54Plus, the study also found that beards might contain a type of bacteria-killing bacteria
03:59which could potentially be developed into powerful new antibiotics.
04:02Thank you, beards!
04:04There is one potential downside to having a beard.
04:07According to The Guardian, a study funded by Guinness found that the average bearded
04:11drinker loses about 0.56 millimeters of beer per pint because it gets caught in their facial
04:16hair.
04:17This annoying beard tax adds up, and according to Pacific San Diego, if you drink 180 pints
04:22a year, your total yearly loss could be about a pint and a half.
04:25What a waste of a good drink.