Why have so many normally clean-shaven professional men grown beards during the Covid-19 lockdown? It is a curious issue, it seems that many people from Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau to actor Jim Carrey — along with some of my FT colleagues — have started sprouting facial hair this year.

If you ask those newly bearded men why they have abandoned their razors, as I have done in recent months, you may hear a variety of answers: “It’s too much trouble to shave.” “There is no point if you are not in the office.” “Lockdown gives me a chance to try a new look.” They even credit a shortage of barbers.

But, in reality, most of these explanations seem to contradict our new situation. Lockdown has actually left most men with more, not less, free time; after all, they are not commuting to an office.