Whether you’re thinning on top, losing it completely, or a head of hair is nothing but a distant memory – then take it all in your stride.
Some of our favourite celebs and some of the most successful business tycoons are bald guys and according to latest research, there’s something very powerful about men who are bare on top.
The Rock, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson – they’re all follically challenged, not to mention Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Netscape founder Marc Andereessen.
According to researcher Albert Mannes, at the University of Pennsylvania, in three separate experiments he found that:
- Men with shaved heads were rated as more dominant
- Men who’s hair was digitally removed were perceived as more dominant, taller and stronger than their authentic selves
- Men experiencing natural hair loss may improve their interpersonal standing by shaving.
According to the Independent, Mannes, who is a data scientist for the U.S. government, argues that the shaved-and-dominant link comes from cultural associations:
In U.S. society … shaved heads are often found on men in traditionally masculine professions, so dominance may emerge through stereotypical associations with these figures.
Mannes was inspired to do this particular research when he noticed people were more deferential to him after he shaved his head.
However, don’t rush out to buy your Bic razors just yet…
Mannes also discovered that men with shaved heads are perceived as looking four years older than guys with hair – not only that, but bald guys are found to be less attractive.
During the experiments, those taking part were shown photos of men with hair and men with shaved heads and asked to rate them on dominance and agreeability.
They were then shown pictures of the same men with hair and with their hair digitally removed – so they looked shaved.
In the final experiment, participants read identical descriptions of men – except for whether they had thick hair, thinning hair, or shaved heads — and were then asked to rate them on different aspects of personality, from dominance to attractiveness.
Mannes continued:
Instead of spending billions each year trying to reverse or cure their hair loss, the counterintuitive prescription of this research to men experiencing male pattern baldness is to shave their heads.
NB: the author of this article (me) does not accept responsibility for those of you who now want to go and shave your heads in time for the weekend…don’t blame me, ok!
