Post date: September 11, 2024 | Blog
Does Growing a Beard Help Your Mental Health?
Beards have represented many things throughout the years: masculinity, wisdom, rebellions, etc. However, beyond aesthetics and culture, does a beard offer anything else noteworthy? More specifically, are there mental health benefits to having a beard?
It sounds like a strange question to ask, I thought so too, until I started really thinking about it and found that growing and maintaining a beard could actually positively impact self esteem, community, and overall, your mental health.
So, it’s important to announce that I am not a psychiatrist, and these are not recommendations, only my personal anecdotes and findings as I’ve looked further into this topic.
Here are the three main ways in which I’ve discovered that beards can positively impact your mental health.
- Beards Boost Self-Esteem
- Beards Give a Sense of Community
- Beard Care Routines can be Grounding and Helpful
1. Beards Boost Self-Esteem and Confidence
Growing a beard is almost always started by saying “hey, this might look good on me” or some other similar point. The truth is, nowadays that shaving is a common thing, growing a beard is more of a stylistic choice than a practical one.
And stylistically, beards are awesome. Many studies show that beards are considered more attractive, and make men look more mature, than other styles of facial hair including being clean-shaven.
This, combined with the fact that beards allow a man to customize his look and appear how he feels most confident, gives beards the same power as putting on an outfit of well-fitting clothes or a leather jacket: it makes you feel more confident.
Overall, the boost in confidence that a beard gives you can lead to higher levels of self-worth and self-esteem, and therefore reduces feeling of anxiety or social discomfort.
The connection between how we feel and how we look is undeniably impactful, and for some men out there, facial hair can be a relatively simple way to improve how they feel.
A Symbol of Identity and Self-Expression
Beards have always been a means of expressing individuality. Whether it’s a full beard, stubble, or a mustache, each style says something about a person’s unique identity. The ability to express yourself authentically can reduce feelings of stress and improve your sense of control, two key elements in maintaining positive mental health.
Above and beyond the self-esteem, beards also act as a medium for self-expression. It becomes part of an identity that is customizable and transformational over time which can allow for a person to feel a deeper connection to themselves.
2. Belonging to a Bearded Community
Recently, and largely in part of the rise of social media and instant connection, there has become a huge commmunity for most things in the world. Have an obscure and strange hobby? just a few clicks will help you find the largest online forums, posts, and more about that hobby with tons of other people interested in the exact same thing.
The internet can be beautiful in bringing people together.
The camaraderie around growing a beard is huge nowadays. There seems to even be an online culture around it stemming from the unique and common experiences of men trying to grow their beards.
People with experiences of certain products, hair types, facial hair growth ability, and struggles all surround the topic and are looking to help others. Of course, there’s the occasional troll, but when is there not?
Overall, belonging to this community can add a good space for men struggling with their growth, or even just life in general to discuss topics and get advice. And having a supportive community is never a bad thing for mental health.
Having this sense of belonging and feeling accepted for you can vastly improve a persons psychological state. And beard enthusiasts, for example, are glad to know that their facial hair makes them part of a larger whole.
3. The Benefits of A Beard Care Routine on Mental Health
It is often said that you cannot be successful without some sort of routine, and we’d agree.
In a way that may be a shock, the actual act of grooming your beard can be therapeutic. Having a set routine by which you can take action and start your day helps ground a person and give them something to accomplish, it doesn’t matter how small that accomplishment may be.
And similarly, there is the psychological effect of self-care in general. If you value something, you care for it. So, naturally it goes to show that the more effort you put into your appearance and yourself, the more you subconsciously start to value yourself.
Similar to how skin-care routines, exercise, and other self-love activities help clear the mind and promote self-satisfaction, grooming your beard can provide similar benefits.
Taking the time to care for your beard can help you practice mindfulness and ground you in the present moment.
Conclusion: Can Growing a Beard Improve Mental Health?
All in all, while growing a beard is obviously not a direct cure for mental health issues, it can provide some psychological benefits like a boost in confidence, a feeling of community, and reductions in stress.
If you’re considering growing a beard, which you likely are if you took the time to read this article, I would say do it. Although you may not experience all of these effects or the transformation you expect, having a beard is simply awesome with some added benefits to the updated look and feel that it provides.
If you’re unsure about how to get started with your own grooming routine, check out the following quiz where you can find your perfect volt products to help you begin.
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