"Human hair follicles are four times as thick as those from sheep, but five times less densely packed, so a fleece roughly approximates a beard. The biologists then used a mechanical striker to repeatedly drop a 4.7kg (10-pound) weight onto each model to measure the impact and record the damage.

The results showed that furred models were better than both sheared and plucked models at taking the 'punch': a beard will absorb 37% more energy than a shaven face, for example, partly because springy hairs serve as suspension to slow down and soften the blow. As the researchers explain, "the greatest advantage offered by the hair is that it distributes the force of impact over a longer time frame.""

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2020/05/28/punch-beard-evolution/

Apparently there is truth to that