# Homeless people (men) are rarely bald. Is there a reason?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeless-people-men-are-rarely-bald-is-there-a-reason/289664>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 11, 2005, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeless-people-men-are-rarely-bald-is-there-a-reason/289664 "2005-02-11T23:08:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeless-people-men-are-rarely-bald-is-there-a-reason/289664/41 "2011-11-20T23:49:28Z")

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> [@theinformer](#):
>
> Athletes go bald a lot because they run too much.

You know, I think [you’ve hit on the answer.](http://www.nysportsday.com/2010/11/02/top-american-marathoner-keflezighi-to-defend-nyc-title-this-weekend/)

From now on I will become a total couch potato while drastically upping my alcohol intake. That luxuriant head of hair I once had is bound to return. And when’s the last time you saw a bald zombie, huh?

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**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeless-people-men-are-rarely-bald-is-there-a-reason/289664/42 "2011-11-21T07:38:48Z")

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Relatively few people are completely, all-over, bald. Many balding people shave the remaining hair or at least keep it very short. If they didn’t, and wore a hat or cap, you wouldn’t notice the bald spot.

There’s also the secret hobo comb-over…

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**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeless-people-men-are-rarely-bald-is-there-a-reason/289664/43 "2011-11-21T08:53:26Z")

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> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#):
>
> Natural selection: Hair provides insulation for cold winters. Bald/balding bums are more susceptible to hypothermia, which accounts for their relative paucity.

So your saying there are lots of bald homeless people, but natural selection kills them off before they can reproduce? 😃

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