Androgenic Alopecia - Evolutionary Biology

Evolutionary Biology

Some studies have suggested a survival advantage with androgenic alopecia. Psychologists have noted when showing subjects people with difference appearances, decrease in cranial hair was associated with social maturity, appeasement, older age, and decreased attractiveness and aggressiveness.

A study from South Korea showed most people rated balding men less attractive. Men and women viewed six male models with different levels of facial and cranial hair, and participants rated each combination on 32 adjectives related to social perception. Males with facial hair and those with bald or receding hair were rated as being older than those who were clean shaven or had a full head of hair. Beards and full heads of hair were seen as more aggressive, while baldness was associated with social maturity.

More theories include that baldness signaled dominance, social status, or longevity. Biologists have hypothesized the larger sunlight exposed area would allow more vitamin D to be synthesized, which might have been a "finely tuned mechanism to prevent prostate cancer," as the malignancy itself is also associated with higher levels of DHT. Other hypotheses include genetic linkage to beneficial traits unrelated to hair loss and genetic drift.