The end of November means it is time to shave?

Not for me, of course!

If I shaved, I will look like this:

Yep, behind the furry mask hides a baby-face ;)

To those men who are thinking about shaving off the beard, well, a reminder that facial hair plays a significant role in a man’s love life:

women said the sexiest men were those sporting heavy stubble, followed by short stubble. Men with full beards and clean-shaven men were rated the lowest on the overall sexiness scale.

Mine is a well-trimmed full beard, which rates well among women choosing a long-term partner ;)

Men with heavy stubble and full beards were the clear winners on this question, suggesting that men who are ready to commit might do better if they shave less often.

So, what is going on?

Barnaby Dixson, a human behavioral ecologist at the University of Queensland and a co-author of the beard length study, has been researching mate preferences for a decade. He explains that both sexes judge men with beards as older and more masculine, and describe them as generous, sincere, industrious and self-confident.

You are perhaps thinking, "hey, don't be heteronormative."  Here's the response for you, too:

It’s not just women who prefer bearded alpha males — men also prefer men with facial hair.
Dr. Dixson and colleagues asked 1,577 men and women from Brazil and the Czech Republic about facial hair. Compared to heterosexual women, gay men had stronger preferences for men with more facial hair.

So, throw away that razor, men.  Get yourself a beard-trimmer, and have a great time!

But, what about men who cannot grow beards naturally?  SOL, as my students would say ;)