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November - the month moustaches are grown for charity - can cause men all over the world to become strangely attached to their facial hair.

But come December these newly-transformed hairy faces will have a big choice to make: to beard or not to beard.

Now, to help with this decision, two Canadians at Asap Science have condensed the centuries-long debate into a seven-minute video detailing the science behind the trend.

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Which do you prefer? Bearded men were seen as more dominant and aggressive, according to research. Pictured is David Beckham with stubble (left) and a full-grown beard (right)

In the video, Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown claim that 60 per cent of verbal communication is affected by a person's facial appearance.

A bearded Mr Brown highlights research by college students in which bearded men were seen as more dominant and masculine.

He added that a study of managers found that men with long beards are seen as more competent and had better personalities. 

To which a clean-shaven Mr Moffitt replied: 'Masculinity or being dominate isn't always a good thing, especially in job interviews, because it isn't always about being a leader. It's about being a team player.

He continued that a study, albeit funded by Gillette, suggested that HR professionals prefer clean-shaven men.

The study of more than 500 HR professionals discovered that 84 per cent agreed that well-groomed employees have higher chances of getting promoted, than those with stubble or beards.

In a separate study, psychologists at Northumbria University manipulated men's facial hair in photographs, giving them varying degrees of facial hair. 

These images were then rated by 60 women who scored bearded men higher for masculinity, but also aggressiveness.

However, when the images were ranked on social status and respect, the bearded men regularly received higher scores than the clean-shaven ones.

But could clean-shave men be making a comeback? 

Earlier this year, a study by scientists in Sydney, Australia, found changes in men's beard fashions may be guided by Darwinian selection.

The more beards there are, the less attractive they become, giving clean-shaven men an advantage, according to the scientists at the University of New South Wales.

When 'peak beard' frequency is reached, men start reaching for the razors - a trend we many now be experiencing.

Whether or not it's still fashionable, Mr Brown says his beard helps save his face from damaging UV rays.

This theory, however, has been disproved by research at the University of Southern Queensland on three life-size mannequin heads.

Scientists attached a long beard to one, added a short beard to the second, and added minimal facial hair to another.

They mounted the dummies upright on a rotating platform exposed to the sun and measured how much UV protection they received.

Brad Pitt with a beard, and without. A quick hashtag search of #BILF (which stands for Beard I'd Like to Fondle) brings up more than 16,000 results on Instagram, suggesting that the trend may be around for a while longer

More than half of British women think men with bushy 'hipster' beards (Pierce Brosnan left) are 'sexiest'. Eight out of ten women thought bearded men (Tom Hardy right) looked more masculine, and over two thirds revealed they would prefer to date a man with a beard over one who was clean-shaven

'Although protection is provided by the facial hair, it is not very high and the presence of facial hair should not be taken as a reason to spend extended periods of time in sunlight,' they said.

A separate study last week, by online beauty retailer Escentual.com, found more than half of British women think men with bushy 'hipster' beards are 'sexiest.'

Eight out of ten women thought bearded men looked more masculine and over two thirds revealed they would prefer to date a man with a beard over one who was clean-shaven.

A quick hashtag search of #BILF (which stands for Beard I'd Like to Fondle) brings up more than 16,000 results on Instagram, suggesting that the trend may be around for a while longer.