fnarr said:
Given ALOT of heat is lost through our heads in cold weather (largely due to the energy-hungry human brain) it's perfectly conceivable that poorer scalp capillary circulation was an adaptive response in European/northern peoples (reducing blood flow or metabolism in the brain is not really an option). When added to the effects of DHT, this could've caused more baldness in men, whilst leaving women and children's hair relatively unscathed. I doubt that comparative data exists on this however, so I'm just speculating.
But. Homo sapiens invented clothes, including fur hats to cope with ice age conditions. If genes respond to cold in this specific way, the human body would respond by growing more, better hair in colder climates, and less in warmer climates. This doesn't happen. Hair has a more complex sexual display role. Many leading romans like Julius Caesar were bald, in a warm climate. Roman generals and leaders were obviously highly testosterone driven, more testosterone = increased potential for excess DHT.
A shiny head proclaims. "Hey look at me, I've got more testosterone."
A thick head of hair proclaims. "Hey look at me. I'm a balanced individual."
Evolutionary and environmental factors govern human behaviour.
The balding man has to work harder to get a mate. He is not at any physical disadvantage, and he has more latent agression. He competes, so passes on his baldness gene.
This is a modern scenario, in our crowded world.
Some women are attracted to bald men, for testosterone capacity. Then their friends tease them that their boyfriend is a slaphead. Baldness has been fashionable in some cultures, though not in our consumer society.
It has become a signal of poor health. The heart disease link is possibly relevant, but only because of bad food choices/availability within the bulk of modern society, which exacerbates the potential.
We wouldn't worry about going bald, if the hair prejudiced ones didn't wind us up about it. We should be able to live in peace, but we cannot change society. We are trying to find a cure, to conform. My cure is acting slowly, and I think I will look younger with better hair. If I had not discovered the possibility of curing my baldness, I would have coped with it better in advancing age than I was able to when I was younger. It was a terrible blow, and I am now trying to relive my youth to a degree. It has cost me the same as a good motorbike, so I won't buy one of those.
The bald prone winners of ancient times are still with us, though they are now disadvantaged in some areas by fashion influenced choices.
A skilled footballer or win through, whatever his dht, but he needs t. However, it may be that higher levels of t are needed to disrupt the t-dht balance. We do not yet know which gene triggers the dht fault. However, healthy blood flow is partly within our individual control. Lack of exercise and poor diets can be addressed, as well as using finasteride etc.
It is socially acceptable to go bald gradually in middle age, but terrible to loose it when you are a teenager or in your early 20's. There seems to be an increased reporting of youthfull male pattern baldness, which has many possible combined causes.
We don't want to display our testosterone qualities through hair loss, but evolution can be haphazard. It doesn't only select through (standard ideas of) beauty, but strength, which can produce features which unattractive to some.
Of course, there are many very aggressive men, psychopaths even, with excellent hair, they just lack the dht fault. Hair is a disguise. "Hey, look at me, I'm a reasonable guy. (I only loose my temper when I'm angry)."
We also need to deal with stress, the competitive urge, workaholism. Learn how to relax, deep breathing please, to distribute the oxygen more efficiently through your entire system. Yawn more often.
If there is a study which proves that bald men have less testosterone, I am wrong again. There are more questions here than answers.
Boru
