But according to research from the University of Pennsylvania, there's something powerful about having a smooth dome. In three experiments, researcher Albert Mannes found: • "Men with shaved heads were rated as more dominant." • "Men whose hair was digitally removed were perceived as more dominant, taller, and stronger than their authentic selves." • "Men experiencing natural hair loss may improve their interpersonal standing by shaving."

To get to those conclusions, Mannes did a number of clever experiments. • In the first experiment, participants were shown photos of men with hair and men with shaved heads and asked to rate their levels of dominance and agreeability. • In the second, participants were shown pictures of the same men with hair and with their hair digitally removed, so they looked shaved. • In the third, participants read identical descriptions of men — except for whether they had thick hair, thinning hair, or shaved heads — and rated them on different aspects of personality, from dominance to agreeability to attractiveness. The takeaways are practical: Shaving it off is probably a better bet for your well-being than watching it thin away.

"Instead of spending billions each year trying to reverse or cure their hair loss," he writes, "the counterintuitive prescription of this research to men experiencing male pattern baldness is to shave their heads." This article first appeared on BUSINESS INSIDER