It’s not hard to notice beards are trending. With stars like Brad Pitt and George Clooney strutting masculine and bushy beards on the red carpet, it’s clear to see beards are in vogue. But scientists believe we have hit “peak beard” levels.

A new study claims that the variation of male facial hair through the ages is guided by Darwinian selection. In their experiment 1,453 women and 213 men were asked to rate the attractiveness of men’s faces with four different levels of bear growth – ranging from clean shaven to full on lumberjack. It was found that the sample groups judged lengthier facial hair more attractive when it was under-represented in the selection of sample faces. 

The study concluded that negative frequency-dependent preferences guide beard trends. This means that if something is rare, it is preferred. These scientists think that we have reached “peak beard” levels, thus we will see a trend where being clean shaven or having a bit of stubble will become more fashionable. This will give males an edge in being more attractive to the opposite sex – Darwinian selection in action son! 

[ Source : BBC ]