TITLE:
The Man Behind the Beard: Perception of Men’s Trustworthiness as a Function of Facial Hair
AUTHORS:
Arman Bakmazian
KEYWORDS:
Trustworthiness; Beards; Trust; Facial Hair; Perception; Male
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.5 No.3,
March
26,
2014
ABSTRACT:
There are
several exogenous factors—such as the presence of facial hair—that can bias a
male’s perceived trustworthiness. Research addressing the influence facial hair
that has on perceived trustworthiness is scarce; however, research suggests
that facial hair promotes the perception of untrustworthiness. In the present
study, participants were presented with experimental questions and two facial
photographs (depicting a bearded or non-bearded face) and asked to choose the
stimulus that they perceived to be more trustworthy. The results of the present
study were inconsistent with previous findings (Ebling, 1987; Muscarella &
Cunningham, 1996; Neave & Shields, 2008; Stirrat & Perrett, 2010; Terry
& Krantz, 1993; Wogalter & Hosie, 1991). More specifically, individuals
were significantly more likely to choose bearded faces over non-bearded faces
as trustworthy. Moreover, attributions of a photo’s attractiveness were
controlled by pre-rating it and randomly matching it with another photo with
the same attractiveness rating.