Ticks, bugs, lice… are the main fears women have for turning down bearded men, a study in Queenslands showed.

According to research by the University of Queensland led by Ph.D. student Tessa Clarkson, beards can be a deterrent for women in choosing a permanent or temporary partner.

“We found women’s disgust towards ectoparasites – such as fleas that live on the skin – negatively affects preferences for men with beards,” Dr Dixson said.

“This could be due to the increased cultural trends for men and women to remove hair in more regions of the body including their faces, chests, arms, legs, and pubic region.”

“This is the first study to provide evidence to support the ectoparasite avoidance hypothesis which argues that hairlessness evolved partly in response to parasite abundance to reduce the likelihood of hosting disease-carrying parasites.”

At the same time, Dr. Dixson highlighted the cultural background behind the habit of men and women to wax various areas of the body such as the face, chest, arms, legs, and pubic area.

According to Dr. Dixson, this research is the first to present sufficient evidence to confirm the theory that hair removal is a sure way to prevent skin parasites.

In the study, 919 women who said they were single, dating, or engaged – some chose not to answer – were asked about their opinion of shaved men or beards, in relation to temporary or permanent relationships.

Women who were single and wanted to have a child, showed a preference for men without beards, while the same preference was shown by married women, without the preference necessarily being associated with the desire to have a child.