Headgear doesn't reduce the impact of punches, bigger gloves do.
Yep.
I learned this as early as 12 years old, and laugh at whoever thinks headgear protects them from getting hurt. When I was 12, my History teacher, who use to box, told me headgear is only to protect from cuts and clashes of heads. He said punches feel exactly the same with or without headgear. I never forgot this little conversation.
But I guess people who don't know this, and wear headgear thinking punches will hurt less, have a psychological advantage in which they really think punches hurt less, therefore they're more confident, and fight more effectively?