I know it’s high maintenance, but if a new study is anything to be believed, the beard makes you a better boyfriend. Or, to be specific, makes you look like one.

LOL

Research paper The Masculinity Paradox: Facial Masculinity and Beardedness Interact to Determine Women’s Ratings of Men’s Facial Attractiveness, published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology deals with the same topic.

As a part of the research, 8,520 women were made to ‘rate’ men- with and without facial hair- in terms of who they thought could sustain a longer relationship. 

No points for guessing that the ones with beard were rated the highest. 

In terms of attractiveness, every single one of the ladies rated bearded men higher compared to the clean-shaven ones.

The length of the beard was also found to be directly proportional to their suitability as a partner for marriage.

LOL

You’d best believe that these were some savage women because they also mentioned that they found clean-shaven men more suitable for a fling kinda thing (ouch).

I will now add a sentence with professional vocabulary from the research, so that all the non-bearded people feel worse. 

Male-typical facial features such as a pronounced brow ridge and a more robust jawline may signal underlying health, whereas beards may signal men’s age and masculine social dominance.

‘Masculine social dominance’

LOL

I personally don’t think any of this is true but you can try growing some beard if you care about these things. Good luck!