Men with beards are more attractive - officially

It’s officially time to stop mocking the hipsters populating East London - men with beards are more attractive than those without.

That’s according to a study in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology, which asked 8,500 women to rate men with and without beards for their boyfriend potential.

The men were photographed clean-shaven, five days after shaving, 10 days after shaving, and then four weeks after shaving.

The results were astonishing: every single woman preferred their men with facial hair.

Heavy stubble received the highest ratings for general attractiveness, followed by full beards and light stubble.

The researchers said that typically male features, such as a strong jawline, signal health and high testosterone levels, which may not be what women are looking for in a long-term partner.

Whereas we associate beards with a man’s age and masculine social dominance.

One theory, the study states, is:

"Beards may be more attractive to women when considering long-term than short-term relationships as they indicate a male`s ability to successfully compete socially with other males for resources."