“Toupee or not Toupee?” Sic (et Non). Social perceptions of Male Pattern Baldness (Androgenetic Alopecia)

13 men aged between their early 30s and early 70s with full-blown male pattern baldness (male androgenetic alopecia) were photographed once bald and once with a high-quality, custom-made toupee. In an online experiment, one sample rated the photos according to attractiveness, another according to self-assurance and another according to health. The attractiveness ratings were extraordinarily low. The men appeared considerably more attractive with a toupee than with a bald head (effect size Cohen’s d = 0.67). The women’s attractiveness ratings were more negative than those of the male judges (d = 0.58). When the men wore their toupee, they were rated higher by older judges than by younger ones. The men appeared somewhat healthier with a toupee than with a bald head (d = 0.14). Overall, neither the hair status nor the sex of the judges played a role in the assessment of self-assurance. A special feature of the study is the analysis at the level of the individual stimulus persons. Under both hair conditions, each individual received higher attractiveness ratings from men than from women. In terms of self-assurance, some were rated more favorably by women and others by men. In terms of health, men and women only differed for a few targets. In line with the attractiveness stereotype „What is beautiful is good“, more attractive men were judged to be more self-assured and healthier.