Wednesday, August 16, 2006

How Your Hair Part Reflects Your Personality

Did you hear about the guy who went from geek to chic overnight, simply by changing the side he parted his hair? It's true.

John Walter was a self-professed computer nerd who instantly gained about 150 friends and an active social life with the "in" crowd after changing his hair part from the right to the left. Does it sound unbelievable? Until I read THIS ARTICLE that explains the hair part theory, I was skeptical, but the theory is highly plausible.

According to the article linked above, The Hair Part Theory goes like this: A left hair part draws unconscious attention to the left side of the brain, which controls activities traditionally associated with masculinity. A right hair part draws unconscious attention to the right side of the brain, which controls activities traditionally associated with femininity.

The theory seems to apply more to men because they usually part their hair the same way their whole life. The theory also applies to women, but to a lesser degree, because women might change their hair styles many times.

A man who parts his hair on the right and wants acceptance in a traditionally male role is at risk, the theory goes, because he sends a mixed message when he emphasizes the right, or feminine, side of the brain.

A woman who parts her hair on the left and wants acceptance in a traditionally male role - business, for example, or politics - will be taken more seriously than a woman with a right part.


There has been a theory floating around the internet that one of the main reasons Al Gore lost the presidential election in 2000 was because he parts his hair on the right, and was perceived to be a weak leader. Even though the entire universe knew George W. Bush was a moron, he parts his hair on the left and gave people the impression he was better suited to be a leader.

"L" for Left, "L" for Leader


The article also sites Superman as an example. When Christopher Reeves plays the nerdy Clark Kent in the movie, he parts his hair on the right.




But when he turns into Superman, he parts his hair on the left. Coincidence? I think not.



It seems parting your hair on the right works mostly against men seeking careers in politics or traditionally male roles. Men with right parts are usually in artistic or creative fields.


When it comes to women and their hair parts, it really doesn't matter unless you are trying to make it big in business or politics. In that case, a woman should always part her hair on the left. Hilary Rodham Clinton did, and her left part helped her win the seat for New York Senator even though she had never lived in the state before running.




You want to know what else I find fascinating? Before King Abdullah assumed the throne as King of Jordan, Queen Rania used to part her hair on the left.


Rania as Princess

After she went from being an outspoken Princess to becoming Queen of Jordan, she changed her part to the right, perhaps to send a subtle message that she is the feminine side of the power couple, and to let her husband shine as King. Go ahead, test this theory for yourself. Do a Google search for "Princess Rania" and "Queen Rania" images, and see for yourself how when she was in her "princess" days, she had a left part, and when she became "Queen" she changed her part to the right. Spooky, isn't it?

Rania as Queen


As to how this theory relates to me, I have to say that I part my hair on the left mainly because I have a quirky cowlic and thinning hair on my right side. I have more body and lift when I part it on the left. I could do center parts sometimes too, but I'm more comfortable on the left. No wonder I had an easy time working as an auditor, I had the perfect part for the business field. My kids all have a natural part on the right side as well, and this is okay for the girls, but unconciously, after reading this article, I had started to train my son's part to be on the left. Like most parents I want him to be successful one day, and I didn't want his hair part to negatively influence his career choice. Then I realized, the only way it would negatively affect his career would be if he chose a career in business or politics, it wouldn't have much influence on him if he were to go towards the artistic fields. After all, Al Gore finally found his niche in the creative field with An Inconvenient Truth, where his hair part actually worked for him, not against him. Since I'm not going to be one of those parents that picks out their child's career for them beginning in kindergarten, I decided to just make life easier and gave him a buzz cut. Now he has no part, which according to the article, helps a person be perceived as balanced, trustworthy, and wise, but also, lacking the flair of right or left parters. But it works for us. He's got incredibly wavy hair, and if it grows beyond one inch, it starts turning into a bee hive. Buzz cuts are easier to manage for him (and my supertstitous neurosis).

If you want to read more about The Hair Part Theory and what is says about your personality, Click Here for the Full Article.


22 comments:

Manu said...

Fascinating! Now i'll be analysing everyone's parting and try to corelate that to their lives. I've got my parting on the right... better switch to a left parting for those pesky job interviews. Btw I'm totally hooked to your blog! :)

Chic Mommy said...

no no wcm, you're not confused. It means you seek balance in your life, and are trustrworthy, which you are. hubby's means that he's trying to find a balance between his business life and his creative side, but he's trying really hard to be the serious responsible dad he is. Okay, I just re-read this and feel like one of those 1-900 psychic friends. It's scary, I know too much about hair parts.

manu, thanks. I actually drove my sister nuts for a whole month after reading this and kept switching my parts around and asking her, "how do I look now?" Can you believe a simple hair part could drive people too look at me weird and say, "what's wrong with your hair" when I parted it on the right? even just to try out a new look? The consensus amongst everyone was that I look better with it parted on the left, and sometimes in the middle depending on the haircut, but never the right. I wonder if my cowlick has something to do with that.

Ameet said...

This is so fascinating. I was raised with a left parting. Somewhere around teenage I consciously switched to a right parting. I have wavy hair and it seems to hold up better with a right part (kinda like the Al Gore picture). Around my early 20s, I stopped using a comb/brush and just let it come forward to make up for the thinning up front. Now I have just a hint of a right part.

I've done well in business but feel like I constantly need to try harder that others around me. Maybe it's my part. Maybe it's my inherent feminine side showing through. I should give this left part theory a try.

Bengali Chick said...

You've made me a believer. I'm looking at my hubby's part and its uncanny.

Kamilah said...

I'm a left and hes a right and we realised whatever im going with he isnt. vice versa. u think parting got anything to do with it? heh.

Bee Amma said...

lol thats quite fascinating! thanks for sharing that :)

Aoife said...

I always thought it had something to do with handedness. Being a lefty who brushes with the left hand, it is easier to part my hair on my right side and draw it over to the left side... it would feel weird to brush it the other direction

Chic Mommy said...

I think the whole theory is an off shoot of the "right brained vs. left brained" theory of defining personalities. It's as if your hair part introduces your personality before you have a chance to speak. If you walk into a room with a right part, your hair is saying, "Hi, I'm creative and a dreamer" but if you walk into a room with a left part, your hair is saying, "I'm analytical, serious, and enjoy business and politics." Center parts can go either way, they just want balance. Also, the more extreme the part on one side, the more extreme the personality. Donald Trump parts it on the left, an extreme left comb-over, which means he's very business minded, and probably not very creative (according to the theory).

royalrichfamous said...

interesting theory!

my site is about royal 's around the world. I may ass a post on rania's haistyles after reading this post!

rgds royal rich n famous!

Karmyn R said...

What about those of us who part our hair down the middle?

Lisa said...

That is really interesting!! I had never heard that at all. My husband just has a buzz cut as well - I think the only time his hair was parted on the side was when he was really little. And his mom parted it on the right too.

Barb Ess said...

Very interesting! None of the XY fellas I currently live with have a part -- my husband is bare up top (though not completely bald), my four year old's hair has never had a part (think Spock-like, or, as a friend likes to assure me, a young Donny Osmond), and the baby's hair, while he has curls that cascade down past his shoulders, is just too soft to part. I've always had either a center part; my hair is too contrary to do anything else. :)

Yes, my baby's hair is very long, and he's often mistaken for a girl even when he's wearing clothing that says "110% BOY", but I've sworn silently to myself that he keeps the curls until after the age of two. I just love 'em. :)

Chris Bainbridge said...

Men are lazy. Most are right handed. Parting on the left is just easier.

Unknown said...

stupidest ever thing I have heard in this life

Unknown said...

Check superman's hair in superman returns!!! Parts the other way does this make him a woman?

Anonymous said...

What about switching between center part combing and right/left side parting (among males)? What does it show? Could you let me know please?

are you kidding? said...

This is the stupidest shit I've ever heard of. Related reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handedness#Social_stigma_and_repression_of_left-handedness

Unknown said...

I was trying to get my hair like Mark Wahlburg then i noticed i had my part on the right. Its honestly easier when your right handed but ima try going for the left part.

Ruby heart said...

I have to part left too because right side is thinner I was self-conscious at first, being raised in a traditional Italian household. The part made my father angry, and he said "why part your hair like a man?"

Tony L. Williams said...

In the Superman films starring Christopher Reeve, his hair is parted on the right as Clark Kent.

As Superman, Reeve's hair is parted on the left.

Check it out on YouTube.

Unknown said...

That is so weird, jeez, I want to check this with everyone I know now. I usually part my hair to the left just because my natural parting is that way and quite a bit of my baby hair is still noticeable on my head so it looks weird any other way.

Unknown said...

I'm confused. Left side part means brushing majority of hair from your left-hand side to right, correct?