The way you gain people’s trust is to earn it over time by repeatedly proving that you deserve it. That, or grow a beard.
A recent study in the Journal of Marketing Communications found that men with beards were deemed more credible than those who were clean-shaven. The study showed participants pictures of men endorsing certain products. In some photos, the men were clean-shaven. In others, the same men had beards. Participants thought the men with beards had greater expertise and were significantly more trustworthy when they were endorsing products like cell phones and toothpaste.
But, oddly, men with beards were slightly less effective than smooth-cheeked fellows in underwear advertisements. Apparently we don’t want Zach Galifianakis selling us boxers.
The researchers say the implications of their findings could extend far beyond advertisements. For instance, male politicians might want to consider not shaving because the “presence of a beard on the face of candidates could boost their charisma, reliability, and above all their expertise as perceived by voters, with positive effects on voting intention.”
Former presidential candidates Al Gore and Bill Richardson didn’t put down the razor until they were already out of the running. Who knows how things might have turned out if they had had the power of facial hair working for them …
Important note: The study looked only at neat, medium-length beards. You can’t just go all ZZ Top and expect people to trust you.
(The study, which was conducted by Gianluigi Guido, Alessandro M. Pelusoa, and Valentina Moffa, is not online. Photo above is of the singer-songwriter/beard-haver Samuel Beam.)
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23 Responses to The Trustworthiness of Beards
drhypersonic - April 14, 2010 at 4:04 pm
…hopefully this study was NOT supported with taxpayer dollars…
12052592 - April 14, 2010 at 4:13 pm
From now on, all federally funded research projects will not be funded until EVERY single tax payer approves it. After which it will be personally approved by the expert of everything, Dr. Hypersonic.
joehardy - April 14, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Strange. I’ve always regarded most – but not all – men with facial hair as having something to hide. I tend not to trust them until I can get to know them. Even then I hold them in less regard than those who are clean-shaven.
oldcommprof - April 14, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Even trolls should understand that marketing research is supported by corporate funding. Then again, their understanding of how academia actually works is limited.
11182967 - April 14, 2010 at 5:10 pm
But what about Nixon’s untrustworthy five o’clock shadow? Apparently, beards, to be trustworthy, must be, like the golden mean and porridge of the bears of Goldilocks, just right.
athibo - April 14, 2010 at 5:18 pm
I doubt this study was paid for by Gillette.P.S., You can trust me. I have a beard.
mbelvadi - April 15, 2010 at 6:33 am
This research is incomplete! What about moustaches that don’t include beards? Are they in between the other two groups? Or did Hitler, Stalin, and Saddam Hussain ruin the moustache image?
twestheimer - April 15, 2010 at 6:40 am
The author has a beard ? Me too!I agree with #6
*I’m not biased, tho. :) Tom B.
bristol64 - April 15, 2010 at 9:54 am
Does this mean most women, i.e., those without beards, are NOT trustworthy?
davidhrc - April 15, 2010 at 10:02 am
This is a “culture-bound” European (Italian) study. This report conveniently leaves that out.
It wasn’t “conveniently” left out — but, you’re right, it is an Italian study. Would be interesting to see if the results are different in other countries. — Tom B.
tigers02 - April 15, 2010 at 10:35 am
Well, all I know is that Jesus had a beard and don’t we all trust Him? Also, since most women cannot grow beards does it, therefore, follow that they cannot be trusted? Even “over time” they cannot grow a beard (I mean, a “real” beard).
mubbs - April 15, 2010 at 11:00 am
My Women’s studies prof. has a beard. But I don’t trust her.
minnesotan - April 15, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Clearly Jewish women and French-Canadian women are more trustworthy.
22079340 - April 15, 2010 at 4:47 pm
So, the Ayatollahs and Taliban are on to something?!Trying to imagine Barack or Hillary with a nice long one…
jbarman - April 15, 2010 at 5:50 pm
It’s interesting to see how beard acceptance/phobia changes over even short periods of time. I had a neatly-trimmed beard 35 years ago (in my early 20′s) and was told during two interviews that the company would not hire anyone with a beard. One company was Geico, and I subsequently changed insurers. Now Geico has cavemen touting their products – must be because they are trustworthy.
jrscholar - April 15, 2010 at 9:03 pm
This would help explain the appeal of Billy Mays.
bayhuntr - April 15, 2010 at 11:45 pm
I know why we trust men with beards, because all the men in Congress are clean shaven.
cleverclogs - April 16, 2010 at 8:40 am
I had a clean-shaven ex who believed, as joehardy #3 does, that you couldn’t trust a man with a beard because he was trying to hide something.Interestingly (to me anyway), my brother, who has a beard on occasion, says you can’t trust a man with two first names, AND my ex had two first names. Maybe there’s an ancient occult war between the bearded men and the two-first-namers.
piscea - April 16, 2010 at 10:27 am
joehardy, it sounds like you have daddy issues or something.show us on the doll where the bearded man touched you.It’s completely normal, and fully human for males to have beards.Shaving them off just denies who we really are, and is completely unnecesary.Its not really any different from shaving off your eyebrows.Or cutting off a finger.It’s just pointless.mbelvadi, you might want to blame police officers for the moustache bit.It seems like some of the power tripping, personal agenda driven ones(a small percentage I’ll admit) ruined the image of having just a moustache with no beard.At least that’s what the anti-authoritarian side of me has deduced and learned from others.All in all, beards are truly sweet. And I charge all of you who are able to immediately throw out your razors and get back to nature./rantz
briancroxall - April 17, 2010 at 8:14 pm
Test
mwill1949 - April 19, 2010 at 12:57 pm
In my observation, younger guys grow beards to look older and more mature. Then, as they enter the workplace, there is a tendency to shave them off to look younger and more “professional!” Then, why when a man reaches his “older” years (50+), he is bound to grow the darn beard BACK with all the gray hair mixed in (or worse yet, have a bad dye job.) It’s then that he looks older than dirt. That don’t impress me much!
busundergrad - April 19, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Gosh – most of you people are trying to be funny in a serious way – I will bet that you HATE that when your students do it. Shame on you for your hippicritical critique of this artical. I certainly hope your time spent responding was not paid by a federal grant you grunt!
tebartlett - April 20, 2010 at 1:19 pm
@busundergrad Man, I have nooooo idea what you’re talking about or why you’re calling people names. Also, seriously, spell check.