It turns out that women are partial towards men with beards, which comes as absolutely no surprise to me as I share that partiality wholeheartedly :-). Unfortunately for me, Martin does not share my views on beards....
The con in Martin's case are: stubble itches, like the devil. While he is most willing to indulge me in almost every venture to make me happy, leaving his beard to grow is definitely not one of them. Pleading with him has not helped, and while demonstrating the benefits of a beard has helped a little, it is never enough as after two days, he always picks up the razor again.
But, I have gotten help from the most unlikely corner: science. And science is infinitely better equipped than I in explaining why it’s good to leave the razor lying on the bathroom sink, untouched.
As explained by one research, “Our findings confirm that beardedness affects judgments of male socio-sexual attributes and suggest that an intermediate level of beardedness is most attractive ….”
And while a scruff will convey maturity and manliness, a full-on beard implies macho aggressiveness, which can be helpful in order to: “....protect and invest in offspring.” You can read all about it in the Journal of Evolution and Human Behavior.
I have yet to see if words like manliness and attractiveness can sway him. But I will keep you updated on my progress.
What is your preference? Send me a picture of your man. Not sure of your preference? Partake in this scientific poll on Jezebel.