Heavily stubbled men are more attractive, says science

This week science has shown that clean shaven is not always best, and that brief periods of stress are actually good for you. We've seen modified bacteria literally nuke cancer cells, and British scientists propose a good old space harpoon as the way to clear Earth's orbit of some 6,000 tonnes of space debris. All that and more in another exciting edition of Week in Science. Stop shaving to boost your
attractiveness - It turns out the rough gets more love than the smooth. A new study has shown that a man's attractiveness to both men and women peaks with "heavy" or 10-day stubble. During a test, both heterosexual men and women were asked to rate pictures of men with varying levels of beard growth. Men with full beards and clean shaven faces were rated with similar health and attractiveness, while bearded men were perceived to have higher levels of parenting skills. However, 10-day stubble were ranked as the most desirable, possibly due to the connotations of masculinity and maturity without looking aggressive. Five-day stubble was ranked lowest, possibly due to its patchy nature, which shows that you need a certain amount of hair on your face before the stubble effect kicks in. Next time you go out on a date, maybe reach for the beard trimmer instead of the razor.