This is handy bit of information for those who might consider themselves follicularly challenged — according to a study by the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, men with shaved heads are perceived to be more masculine and dominant than those with hair.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Wharton management lecturer Albert Mannes conducted three experiments to test peoples' perceptions of men with shaved heads. In one of the experiments, he showed 344 subjects photos of the same men in two versions: one showing the man with hair and the other showing him with his hair digitally removed, so his head appears shaved.

In all three tests, the subjects reported finding the men with shaved heads as more dominant than their hirsute counterparts. In one test, men with shorn heads were even perceived as an inch taller and about 13% stronger than those with fuller manes. The paper, "Shorn Scalps and Perceptions of Male Dominance," was published online, and will be included in a coming issue of journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

The study found that men with thinning hair were viewed as the least attractive and powerful of the bunch, a finding that tracks with other studies showing that people perceive men with typical male-pattern baldness—which affects roughly 35 million Americans—as older and less attractive. For those men, the solution could be as cheap and simple as a shave.

The story goes on to talk about how baldness plays into perceived traits of dominance, and how some balding businessmen made the cue-ball look a part of their personal brands.

For more, check out WSJ.com.