Women find bearded men more attractive, but there is a creepy-crawly catch

Beards are all the craze among men these days, but according to a new study, their thick and luscious facial hair can sometimes work against them.

According to CNN Health, women who are highly repulsed by lice, ticks, and fleas tend to find bearded men less attractive.

The aversion stems from the level of the unconscious mind, as the inner animal instincts of a woman caution her against coming into contact with hairy folks who might be infested with all sorts of creepy crawlies.

Nature has programmed humans to feel attraction towards those individuals of the opposite sex who display the most prominent masculine or feminine features.

Women tend to gravitate towards men whose features indicate higher testosterone levels, for instance, a beard, tall height, and well-developed muscles.

CNN Health reported that a 2013 study it was revealed that women found men with a heavy stubble most attractive. While on the other hand, men with long beards, light stubble or those who were clean-shaven were placed much lower on the attraction scale.

In the recently published study that appeared in the Royal Society Open Science journal, bearded men with highly pronounced masculine features were seen as more attractive by females as against men who had feminine features or were devoid of facial hair growth.

Men with facial, wider jaw and prominent brow were found to be more suitable by women for both long and short term relationships.

The findings, however, started to deviate from the initial trend when the women's aversion towards beard dwelling parasitic creatures was factored in. Ladies who turned squeamish even at the thought of lice and ticks saw bearded men as less attractive.

From an evolutionary perspective, humans developed less body hair to minimize the risk of disease-carrying parasites latching on to them, reported CNN Health.

The results from other studies make the whole scenario a bit confusing as they reveal that the women who grew up with bearded fathers or the ones who are currently in a relationship with bearded men, found facial hair more attractive.