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Bald Men Seen As More Successful, Intelligent, And Masculine, Science Says

Updated September 3, 2021

Take it from a genuine, real life bald guy — hair loss is a significant change in a man's life. I'm not surprised in the least that so many dudes wage and all-out war trying to hang onto their glorious locks. It's not easy to give up something you've enjoyed your whole life and that you attach your identity to.

But it's also not nearly the worst thing that can happen to you. Personally, when I saw that my hair line was in retreat, I went with it. And I have to tell you, it was the start of a whole new and better life. Turns out, science agrees.

Guys, if you notice your hairline is receding and there's more hair in the drain than usual, it's not the end of the world.

Traditionally, bald guys have not gotten much respect. Believe me, I know it. Been there, done that. But if you think about it, some of the world's most successful men are balder than they were the day they were born.

Jeff Bezos, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Terry Crews, the list goes on — bald guys are on top now.

Getty Images | Drew Angerer

And science has confirmed it, according to a study out of the University of Pennsylvania. Albert E. Mannes, a bald scientist at the university, conducted a study with 59 subjects, gauging their reaction to pictures of bald men versus men with hair.

In the study, the subjects got to see each photo twice, once with a man sporting a full head of hair, and once with the same guy with his head shaved clean.

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The men with clean, smooth heads were consistently rated as "more dominant, taller, and stronger," than their hairy counterparts. However, the pattern didn't hold up unless the guys were shaved right down to the last hair — bald patches and pattern baldness didn't have the same effect.

The big difference seems to be not so much the baldness, but making the choice to be bald.

Getty Images | Kevin Winter

Let's face it, cutting off all your hair and shaving your head smooth is a bold move. "Choosing to dispense with one's hair is arguably a form of nonverbal behavior, a form of expression which communicates information about the self otherwise difficult to observe," the study says.

It's not uncommon to see the correlation of baldness and success play out in fiction, too.

Just look at characters like Lex Luthor and Daddy Warbucks — stern men, completely bald, and titans of business. In real life, you have men like Jeff Bezos, Steve Ballmer, and Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier who are among the wealthiest and most powerful men around.

Now, the bald version of the men in the pictures were also rated as being about four years older, on average.

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But that's not necessarily a bad thing, as that can be tied to other traits. In fact, a separate study out of the University of Saarland found that although bald men seem older, they also seem wiser and more intelligent, according to Business Insider.

The University of Pennsylvania study noted that for men who are in the early stages of hair loss, it might be best to just go with it.

You know, steer into the skid. Roll with the punch. "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," the study says.

"Doing so will increase their interpersonal standing on a host of dominance-related traits, including their potential for leadership."

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"At the very least, these benefits may offer palliative relief from the psychological costs associated with natural hair loss. But they may also lead to improved social and economic outcomes," it concludes.

So there you go, guys. Razors beat Rogaine! Show that hairline who's in charge!

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