and then the rest of my beard

eventually followed about five years later.

One of the puzzles of human evolution

is why men in some populations have kept their facial hair

when we've lost the hair on the rest of our bodies.

Now normally when we're trying to explain a trait

that doesn't have any clear survival benefit

we ask whether it can help attract a mate

but actually beards don't seem to be important to women in general.

What we do find is that beards can help men look more dominant

and that suggest that it ties into male-male competition.

My beard makes me feel more masculine

and it makes me want to take on the world

and people respond to me in a very, very positive manner

when I have a beard.

I'm not sure it makes me feel more of a man, it makes me feel more like me.

It helped me feel, I would say, older or more close to my age

because I look quite young

and it helped me to look more of a mature adult.

A light beard can exaggerate and emphasise the jawline

which is a key feature of male facial masculinity.

So a baby-faced man

can make himself look older and more dominant by growing a beard

but there's evidence that a man with a highly masculinised,

dominant looking bone structure can actually soften that

and look more caring by growing a fuller beard.

The recent resurgence in Victorian aesthetics

is particularly interesting

because it's been argued the Victorians

were reacting to earlier fashions and the industrial revolution

by asserting a very strong, natural form of masculinity -

including full beards as a sign of vigour and strength.

I like my beard because it's smart, it's fashionable and it's trendy.

Of course beards can be subject to fashion.

Just like any fashion, there's scope for individual self-expression.

So keeping your beard well-groomed and glossy,

maybe styled in a particular way,

just like polishing your shoes or choosing particular clothes,

can say something about who you are and what you want others to see.

Not so much I wanted to grow my beard, it was mainly me being lazy.

I just wake up, kind wash it with a flannel and that's about it.

I've been wanting to grow a beard for a very long time

and it compliments my face.

Facial and head hair

can be used to mark out groups within a particular population.

Now different traditions had different specific rules

but what they all did was use hair as a way to mark themselves out

as distinct and different.

Now today people can still use their hair

as a way of demonstrating their piety.

Each tradition will have their own narrative

about why keeping or shaving their hair is important,

but what they all have in common

is the use of hair to make a visible statement about group identity -

about who they are and who they aren't.

I went to Hajj, and I came back,

and for spiritual reasons I decided to keep the beard.

"As the beard gets whiter you get more wiser,"

it's a saying, you get more wisdom.

I like the length and the colour and the way it waves in the wind.

People love to compliment my beard as well, so I'm really happy with it.

Costly signalling theory is the principle that anything in nature

which requires an investment of time or energy

can be used to indicate an underlying strength.

Now we can see this play out on the social level as well.

Growing a long beard takes a considerable amount of time,

maintaining a beard requires time and effort

and that time spent can be used as a visible symbol of commitment

to the group or to the ideology.

I don't do a great deal of maintenance on my beard,

I often mean to.

But because sometimes I garden

I forget and come home with a bird stuck in it.

It almost changes my character. I feel like I'm someone different.

I feel more of a man, I feel older.

It ages me. But I can at least pretend I'm wiser.