Men’s Perceptions of Beardedness in a Hispanic and Iranian Sample: The Role of Intrasexual Competition on Evaluations of Attractiveness, Masculinity, and Fighting Ability

Facial hair is suggested to have evolved partly through female mate choice, enhancing men's attractiveness, and is also linked to forms of intrasexual competition, including aggression, masculinity, and dominance. The current research investigated how these perceptions vary across cultures, focusing on Iranian and Hispanic men's views on beardedness. The findings revealed a preference for shorter beards when considering a man's attractiveness, whereas longer beards were associated with masculinity and fighting ability. Cultural differences significantly influenced these perceptions, with Hispanic men rating beards of all lengths more favorably than Iranian men. The study also explored men’s dispositional level of intrasexual competition on beard perception, finding that among Hispanic men, higher levels of competition correlated with more favorable ratings for all beard lengths and traits, especially as beard length increased. In contrast, Iranian men's competitive disposition only influenced their ratings for fighting ability, at certain beard lengths. Altogether, this research underscores the importance of considering cultural context in understanding men's perceptions of beardedness, highlighting cross-cultural variations and similarities.