November has become a hallmark month for facial hair. Yes, we’re talking about #Movember: the 11-year-old global campaign that launched to encourage men to grow a mustache as a way to educate other men about men’s health. Participants are also encouraged to donate money to prevalent male health concerns, like prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health. To date, Mashable reported the Movemeber Foundation has raised more than $500 million dollars in 21 countries. But let’s skip to the good stuff: What does science have to say about those mustaches and beards? The guys of AsapSCIENCE stepped up to the plate to debate the scientific pros and cons of a beard or a clean-shaven face as prior research found 60 percent of verbal communication is affected by the way your face looks. In one survey of college students, bearded men were seen as more dominant and aggressive, which isn’t exactly the vibe you want to give off in, say, a job interview. And a separate survey rated bearded faces as less attractive and of lower social. One point for Gryffindor! (This is where we put the clean-shaven men.) On the other hand, the study that concluded HR professionals prefer clean-shaven men was funded by Gillette, the makers of the best shave men can get; biased much? Plus, upon closer inspection, HR professionals were impartial to “stubble and patchy beards,” so who’s to stay a well-groomed beard or mustache would keep you out of that corner office? What else does science have to say about bearded and clean-shaven faces? Find out when you watch the entire video below: Source
