Thinking of growing out a beard? Well then, you better hope that your significant other isn't a pogonophobic, because you might scare them.

Some believe that pogonophobia stems from children being told at a young age "not to trust a man with a beard." While there is no substance to this claim, it remains that there have been no presidents with beards since the 1800s, police officers are often barred from having beards, and until recently they have been strongly frowned upon in the working world. Therefore, some people believe that "trustworthy" people would never grow a beard.

However, most of us can name a list of wonderful people with beards who should not inspire fear.

In many cases, the fear of beards can arise in a much more personal manner, especially if the person has a traumatic encounter with someone who has a beard.

Sometimes, pogonophobia can be linked to germophobia, as people sometimes consider beards to be dirty and unhygienic.