Do you know what’s common among Steve Ballmer, Dwaynne Johnson and Vin Diesel. They are tremendously successful. And also bald.
And that, according to research, is no coincidence.
Over three studies, led by Albert E. Mannes, 59 participants at the University of Pennsylvania were shown pictures of men with a full heads of hair, and another of them with their hair digitally shaved off.
He found that the bald versions of the men were perceived by participants as more dominant, masculine and confident and stronger than they actually were.
The subjects got to see each photo twice, once of a man with a full head of hair and once of the same man with his hair shaved off. The subjects reported that they thought the bald men were more dominant, bigger and stronger.
In fact, making them bald gave them an extra inch in perceived height.
Bald patches – in other words, a head that wasn’t completely bald – was seen as less attractive and weaker.
Mannes points to research showing that these traits, particularly dominance, are known to be indicators of how successful a person is.
“I’m not saying that shaving your head makes you successful, but it starts the conversation that you’ve done something active,” tech entrepreneur Seth Godin told Wall Street Journal. “These are people who decide to own what they have, as opposed to trying to pretend to be something else.”
