Bald men seen as more masculine and intelligent, according to a study

Remember when Prince William shaved his head and everyone took the piss out of him?

The royal, who his wife has nicknamed 'Baldy', went for a buzzcut at the beginning of 2018 and the internet had a field day. Still, William needn't have felt bad about the taunting or his hair loss as research has shown that bald men are seen as more masculine, intelligent and dominant. In a study called 'Shorn Scalps and Perceptions of Male Dominance' (a great name for a study), scientists found that we think bald men are more dominant than other similar men who have hair. We also perceive that those who are follically challenged are confident, taller and stronger. In fact, participants in the study guessed that the bald men they were shown were on average an inch taller than they actually are. Lead researcher Albert Mannes even went as far as to say that men who are beginning to lose their hair should go the whole hog and shave their heads to improve their 'interpersonal standing'. Mannes, a data scientist for the US government, argued that this perception of dominance is all down to stereotypes we have about men.

"In US society ... shaved heads are often found on men in traditionally masculine professions so dominance may emerge through stereotypical associations with these figures," he wrote.

It's not all good news for Prince William, though - those who took part guessed that men without hair were on average four years older than their actual age. Ouch...