I have always worn a helmet, in rotary wing, and light fixed wing. The number of fatal and serious injuries to the head I have witnessed in accidents suggests its a good idea. The head is a relatively heavy part of the body, and the neck has a job coping with restraining it as the g forces rise ( you only have to look at racing car drivers e.g. formula 1) to see the neck braces they employ at relatively low levels of G . No body thinks twice about strapping their body in. You also get the added benefit of considerable noise reduction, helping to prevent hearing damage.
Most pilots egos seem able to handle the odd funny comment
