\u201cIf he has a beard, then he\u2019s trying to hide a double chin.\u201d This one is more situation as it depends on the body and weight of the particular person. Nevertheless, the association between facial hair and lack of cleanliness persists.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nSociability is the last of the major factors associated with beards or their lack. Clean shaven people are perceived as more socially adept because we intuitively view beards as attempts to \u201chide\u201d someone\u2019s face where a clean shaven face is \u201copen\u201d. And there is a bit of merit to that \u2013 a lot of people grow beards because they don\u2019t like their narrow chin or another feature of their face and they attempt to hide it. Of course, that doesn\u2019t necessarily make them less social but that\u2019s how the human psyche works.<\/p>\n
So, science has uncovered the nature and causes behind these several major symbolisms people prescribe to beards but that\u2019s not all the full extent of the topic. There are multiple other symbolic meanings that people attach to facial hair that aren\u2019t caused so much by our intuitions but by the culture around us.<\/p>\n
The cultural implications and beard meaning<\/h2>\n A man with a beard in most Western cultures, as well as in many others, has typically been associated with wisdom, erudition, and knowledge. The reason behind that is most likely that soldiers in most modern and pre-modern societies have typically cut their hair and beards so that they don\u2019t obstruct them in combat, while learned men that have spent most of their time indoors haven\u2019t had that problem.<\/p>\n
Religion could easily be another cultural reason why beards have often been associated with wisdom \u2013 all three of the Abrahamic religions, as well as many others, have typically valued facial hair as an important accessory for their practitioners.<\/p>\n
Of course, in some cultures, the reverse is often the case. In Buddhism and in multiple other Eastern religions, for example, clean shaven faces and heads are a symbol for clarity of vision and wisdom, while beards and abundant hair \u2013 not necessarily.<\/p>\n
Most literature, however, both Western and Eastern, and both secular and religious, usually views facial hair as a symbol of knowledge and erudition. For many of the reasons, we\u2019ve mentioned above. Beards are often romanticized in literature, they are viewed as parts of men\u2019s character.<\/p>\n
Christopher Oldstone-Moore, the author of the book Of Beards and Men, for example, says that “the history of men is written on their faces”. He explains in an interview for Esquire<\/a> that \u201cFacial hair can be seen as an index to changing ideas over time of what it means to be a man. Over time these kind of shifts are uncommon; they’re big shifts that happen periodically throughout history.\u201d<\/p>\nThe subjective conclusions of most people<\/h2>\n As you can see, the symbolism of beards can vary greatly depending on the point of view of the person who\u2019s looking at it. Some people like men with beards, some don\u2019t. Some view them as wise and mentally strong, others view them as socially awkward and physically unclean. If you want to successfully convey the positive symbolism you attach to your beard to others you don\u2019t need to just grow a beard \u2013 you need to make sure that the rest of your being \u2013 from your non-verbal communication to your actions \u2013 all speak in tandem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When making the choice between beard or no beard there are a lot of factors to consider \u2013 from convenience, to how you look, to monetary expenses, and more. And one of those factors is what does a beard symbolize exactly? After all, why do men have beards? The short answer to that question is that beards symbolize whatever the people who see them perceive them to symbolize. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all. However, as we interact with dozens of people every day and hundreds up to thousands of people in the period of weeks,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[233],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n