By Emily Murray
Good news for men out there who are saying goodbye to their hair. Rather than try to cover it up a la Donald Trump you may be better off grabbing your razor and buzzing those lingering patches right off if you want to be viewed as strong and powerful. This according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.
When study participants were asked to rate certain images of men in different categories, those who had shaved heads were thought to be taller, stronger and more powerful than their coiffed peers. In order to make certain it wasn’t other features affecting the outcome, participants also saw images of the same men but with hair and with the hair digitally removed. In other test, men were described but their images were not shown.
On average the men with no hair were viewed as an inch taller than their actual height and were estimated to be able to bench press 13 percent more. In addition to mere physical strength, the men were also thought to be better leaders when they had shaved heads.
Think about how men with shaved heads are often perceived in entertainment and the media and perhaps this starts to make a bit more sense. Actors like Bruce Willis, Vin Diesel and Jason Stathom often play tough characters. Wrestlers lack hair but have no shortage of muscle and many professional athletes shave off their hair as well.
Ready for the bad news?
In the categories of attractiveness and age, these men were typically viewed as less attractive and older than those with thick heads of hair. On the other side, it appears men with thinning hair who are stuck in the middle of balding and holding on to what they have left ranked the lowest in all the categories. It seems once hair loss starts occurring men fortunately do have a few options if they are appearance conscience. Either shave it and rock the shaved head look or try and treat and prevent future hair loss with medications like Propecia.
What do you think? Do men with shaved heads seem more powerful to you?