Hair today, gone tomorrow: Tinder test shows how bald men fare in online dating

Internet - How important is a full head of hair when it comes to whether a man is good-looking? Do men with locks have better chances on the online dating market than bald men? Or does it not matter at all?

In a survey, men with hair scored significantly better than men without.
In a survey, men with hair scored significantly better than men without.  © Collage: myspring.com/glatze-beim-dating.png (2)

Men's health platform mySpring asked a number of questions surrounding whether men with or without hair are seen as more or less attractive. They then collated the responses into a questionnaire study with shocking results.

Having conducted a survey in which 2,500 women and men anonymously answered which statements about bald guys they agreed with.

Ten percent of respondents thought bald men were attractive and sexy, seven percent said that they felt baldies had dominant personalities, and six percent found hairless men to be more masculine than guys with hair.

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Yet overall, 75% of the 2,500 respondents felt that none of the suggested attributes applied, and were seemingly not sold on the bald look.

The resulting theory suggests that men with hair on their heads seem come off better than those without. Does this hold true in practice?

Male baldness is perceived differently depending on gender

Christian (29) acted as a test subject and created two dating profiles at once: one with his natural bald head and the other with a short brown hairstyle.
Christian (29) acted as a test subject and created two dating profiles at once: one with his natural bald head and the other with a short brown hairstyle.  © Collage: myspring.com/glatze-beim-dating.png (2)

Christian is 29-years-old, a marketing consultant, and a proud bald man – at least in reality. On Tinder, however, his identity depends on which of his profiles you come across.

While on one of them Christian appears as his fully shaven self, on another, he sports a head of luscious brown hair. With the pictures taken, it was time for mySpring to conduct another online experiment.

With two different profiles, he set about happily swiping on the dating app for the next few days, swiping right on exactly 100 people each day.

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At the end of the ten-day test period, the results were in – and they were really something to behold!

Out of a total 1,000 profiles he had swiped right on, the bald Christian received 356 matches, while his hairy twin got 394. You might have noticed that this is not a particularly huge difference.

So, does this mean that bald guys and hairy men have the same chances when it comes to online dating? Well, not exactly.

While 254 women out of a total of 394 matches wanted to get to know the brunette Christian, only 30 were interested in the bald one. In addition, the 29-year-old with hair received 19 messages from interested women, whereas the balded Christian got only six.

Bald Christian received a swipe right from 335 gentlemen, 75 of whom decided to message him first. On the other hand, his hairy twin was far less popular, with only 140 matches and 23 messages.

The takeaway? Well it seems that men prefer bald men and women prefer men with hair - quite the opposite of what was expected.

Hair loss in men has a great impact on psyche and self-confidence, as well as Tinder dating success

Christian had many matches both with and without hair.
Christian had many matches both with and without hair.  © Collage: myspring.com/glatze-beim-dating.png (2)

"It is important to realize the impact that hair loss has on men and their self-esteem," MySpring CEO Nico Hribernik commented.

He added that interviews with balding young men repeatedly showed how ashamed they feel about their thinning hair.

This was the case for Friedrich B., who first noticed signs of hair loss when he was only 19-years-old.

"Society tells you that you are supposed to be having the time of your life at this point. You want to be fit, out there partying, and getting to know people – not walking around with a bald head!" he said.

But surveys, practical tests, and studies or not – we should never forget that beauty is still in the eye of the beholder, and that everyone is attractive in their own unique way.

So it shouldn't matter whether you have long, flowing curls, a short buzz cut, or a bald head. Your true love, a sexy hook-up, or your friend-with-benefits is out there somewhere – and is perhaps already waiting for you on Tinder.

Cover photo: Collage: myspring.com/glatze-beim-dating.png (2)

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