by Leola Washington

Created on: August 01, 2008

Your hairstyle might be saying more than you ever could. Is it any wonder then, that people become obsessive, depressive, filled with high confidence or close to leaping into the great abyss when it comes to their hairstyle?

Science
Science has proven that people subconsciously use external appearances to make snap judgments about others, so your hairstyle might be subtly impacting your life everyday. Who your friends are, how much money you make and even how many lovers you have might all depend on your lovely locks. Several research studies conclude that attractive people are seen as more intelligent, skilled, healthy and sexually capable than their unattractive counterparts. It's no wonder then, that people can feel pressured to maintain a perfect hairstyle. One which says everything you can't and that will propel you toward success in all aspects of your life. If hairstyles are seen to be the capstone of physical attractiveness, then getting it right becomes a very emotional experience.

Stress
Constantly worrying about what your hairstyle is telegraphing to others might lead to elevated levels of stress. Going to salons, buying treatments, spending countless hours and dollars to get it right or disguise what's wrong increases the pressure felt by the individual. All those elevated levels of Cortisol might even lead to more physical problems as you deal with the symptoms of stress.

Depression
So your stylist has hacked off a chunk right in the front, you can't afford a hat and your big presentation is in an hour? Wallowing in misery might seem like your only option and is definitely an emotional response directly correlated to your hairstyle. A bad hairstyle can shatter your confidence and shrivel your mojo almost as easily as anything else. Conversely, a good hairstyle seems to fill you with happy elation, releasing endorphins throughout your brain to give you an ultimately wonderful day.

Confidence
The day after I got my hair professionally straightened for the first time, I felt like a goddess. I was a runway model, I reveled in my luxuriousness, and strutted the halls of high school without breaking eye contact. I even aced a quiz because of my newfound zest for life. If this sounds like you, than you can thank your hairstyle for one of the best emotions of all: Confidence.

More than feeling attractive, a great hairstyle seems like an external representation of yourself. It fits like a glove and becomes your personal statement to the world. The myriad of emotions associated with hairstyles embodies this idea.

Learn more about this author, Leola Washington.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.