There are some damn powerful bald men in show business. There’s Jason Statham – that bald guy who seemingly kicks ass in every movie he stars in. Patrick Stewart donned his shiny hairless head as Captain Pickard on Star Trek. And last but not least, ‘the people’s champ’, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
These guys aren’t badasses by chance. A study at the University of Pennsylvania asked three groups of participants to rate certain photos of men according to character traits such as attractiveness, confidence and dominance.
And yep, you picked it: bald men won in a clean sweep. Study author Albert. E Mannes suggest this might prompt guys to cancel their Ashley & Martin subscription.
Related: The Best Haircuts For Guys With Thinning Hair
“Choosing to dispense with one’s hair is arguably a form of nonverbal behavior, a form of expression which communications information about the self otherwise difficult to observe,” says the study. In simple terms, it means bald men are more mysterious than guys with average haircuts.
“Men with shaved heads will fare better economically in negotiations,” the study suggests, so if you had plans to do business with a bald man, cancel them.
There’s one thing we need to make clear, however: these rules only apply if you’re completely bald. The study found that guys with male-pattern baldness or spotty patches of hair on their head were actually seen as weaker than those who bit the bullet and went completely bald.
Are you going bald and fearing every second of it? The Men’s Health Guide to Baldness will give you some relief.
