I want to look at the pictures and respond, but the formatting of the links as “1”, etc. make it terribly difficult to tap on in my mobile client. I just keep collapsing your comment instead haha
I was able to tap on two of them. I agree that kind eyes help, no doubt. Kind eyes make most people more approachable, bearded or not. So what if we focus just on the beard itself? Is there anything intrinsic to the beard hygiene or perception that matters?
Based on the two pics I could get to, it seems like dramatic angles, beard balm, and lighting might be beard-specific differences between your groupings. Those factors all can significantly impact the beard vibes.
Way too much thought on this this morning. Thanks for hanging out with me on this one! :P