Bald Men Are More Intelligent, Successful, and Masculine, Says Science

If your male partner is worried about losing his hair, you can now let him know that his life is only going to get better: Bald men are often seen as more successful and dominant than men with lush locks, a study from 2012 found, according to Business Insider (opens in new tab). The research says that women tend to find hairless men to be larger, stronger, and more powerful, too. This isn't exactly surprising news considering some of Hollywood's greatest hunks—Bruce Willis, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Jason Statham—happen to shine with shaved heads.

The research was conducted by scientist Albert E. Mannes (surprise—he's bald), at the University of Pennsylvania (opens in new tab). The study, which compiled information from 59 subjects, showed the participants multiple photos of men. The first photo featured a man with a full head of hair and the second one showed that same man with no hair. Most participants reported that they found the bald men to be more attractive overall.

Here's one possible explanation for the attraction: Baldness makes an immediate and obvious statement about a guy. "I'm not saying that shaving your head makes you successful, but it starts the conversation that you've done something active," tech-entrepreneur (and bald man) Seth Godin told the Wall Street Journal (opens in new tab).

Not only do these shaven guys seem more successful, but apparently, they come across as smarter too. Bald men are typically older, and tend to be seen by women as more intelligent and wiser, according to a separate study conducted at the University of Saarland (opens in new tab).

There's one catch though—bald spots don't apply here. Men only seem more attractive, intelligent, and successful if they are completely hairless, whereas men with bald spots or patterned baldness tended to be seen as weaker and less attractive. So the next time your man debates his next hairstyle, you might want to suggest he break out the razor.

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