Does attitude effect hair loss?
Could it be even remotely possible that your outlook on life and the way you perceive and interact with the world around you can effect the way you look? How about your personality?
When it comes to the cards that you were dealt genetically, one would assume the answer to these questions is NO. The potential you were given genetically is non-negotiable. It's not a matter of choice. There's a reason I used the word "potential" in the last sentence. Potential may be fixed, but most of us never come close to using our full potentials.
Take for example a hypothetical set of twin girls that are blessed with the genes for good looks. Genetically, they inherited a combination of genes that have the potential for producing very good looks throughout their lives. Now suppose that they are separated at birth. One of them, say her name is Sara, gets raised by a family that teaches her good general lifestyle habits (such as how to eat well, how to take care of her appearance appropriately, the value of participating in sports, a positive attitude, etc.). The other twin, let's call her Michelle, gets raised by a family that does nothing but sit in front of the TV all day eating potato chips, drinking beer, and bickering with each other; they don't practice good hygiene, they don't exercise and they constantly abuse Michelle psychologically. Michelle doesn't get the chance to utilize her potential to the fullest because she's in survival mode. Now how do you think these two girls will look when they're in their thirties and beyond (assuming that Michelle doesn't manage to deal with her tough past)?
Chances are that Michelle may be overweight. Years of frustration have given her a downtrodden look. Years of stress have taken their toll and her skin, on her posture, on her outlook and view on life.
Sara on the other hand has taken care of herself. She smiles a lot. She has a fulfilling family life and career. She exercises and eats right. She takes the time to look after herself. Years of not having to live in a survival mode have allowed her to develop solid character and self-esteem. Her outlook on life, and the life she's lived have helped her to look a lot younger and better than her sister.
So Sara has taken advantage of her potential far more than Michelle has, and in this example one can see clearly how actual physical appearance can be effected by ones life and outlook.
Now in this hypothetical scenario clearly the lives of these sisters has had a profound impact on their outlook and attitudes. I wanted to give an example that would clarify my point about potential.
If you're reading this then you most likely care about your looks. And since this is a hair loss site, chances are you believe your hair and the quality of your hair effect the way you look and you probably want to keep as much of your hair as possible. Let me address both things -- your overall general appearance, and specifically, the appearance of your hair.
When it comes to your overall appearance I want you to forget about hair for a moment. For some of you this may be hard to do. But try to imagine yourself wearing a hat that completely covers the top of your head so the only hair you can see on your head is at the sides and the back. Imagine a stylish hat, one that you think would look good on you. Now imagine what you would look like if you worked out regularly. If you already work out regularly that's good, your appearance is already better than it would be if you sat on your couch all day and ate chips like Michelle's family. Now imagine yourself dressed in very nice threads, with a brand new pair of shoes. Imagine yourself smiling with a hot woman/man (take your pick) beside you admiring the way you look. Imagine that you eat well, have a job that you love, live in a place that you like and are generally happy. This may be tough to do (or not) depending on the life you've had so far and the outlook it has given you. You may not be able to imagine all these things.
But let me tell you something. If you are not happy with the way you look I think you should take a look at your whole life and how it looks. I think you should try EVERYDAY to imagine what you want from life and do you damn best to adopt the attitude and drive to get there. Don't know how? Get help! Take baby steps. Read, read, read! Every human problem that exists, someone else has experienced it and overcome it, and the great part is that they've WRITTEN about it! Are you snickering as you read this? If so, then you've got issues to deal with. Because people that are happy with where they are in life wouldn't snicker at what I'm telling you. They know that outlook and attitude are critically important in the game of life, and they take steps to improve theirs. These people are generally also satisfied with their appearance as well. Go figure. They are utilizing their potentials to the best of their abilities, including their potentials for looking healthy and good in general. Ever heard of Napolean Hill? Think and Grow Rich, he wrote it. Damn good book.
So generally speaking, I believe that ones attitude especially as time goes by, has a profound impact on ones appearance through the enabling or disabling of ones potential (both in life and in maintaining and improving upon ones looks).
Now, where does hair loss fit in to all of this. If you're still reading this article I'm impressed. You have demonstrated patience and curiousity and so you've got the flexibility to hear what I'm trying to say, and maybe--just maybe--you'll take some positive action in your life to improve your overall well-being (including your looks). So does attitude effect hair loss?
Genetically speaking...
No.
Sorry to rain on the parade. After all this talk about potential, and attitude, and life outlook, yada-yada, the answer is ....
No.
Sorry.
Stress can cause telogen effluvium (a form of hair loss that typically reverses once the stress is eliminated), and I guess if your attitude and life outlook REALLY stinks then you may malnourish yourself and lose hair from poor nutrition. But no amount of wishful or positive thinking will magically regrow your hair.
Having said this, I also want to say that you should not despair. Because attitude does affect your appearance in the ways I've described above. If you take good care of yourself, dress well, eat right, exercise, find yourself a good job that you enjoy, live in a place that you enjoy, spend time with people that uplift you, practice good hygiene, etc. then the fact that you're losing your hair will not be the first thing that registers on people's radars. You'll be too vibrant for people to care much about your hair loss. For that tiny percentage of ignoramuses that equate your value to how much keratin protrudes from your epidermis, to hell with them. You won't even notice them once you've taken the time to fulfill your potential.
If you take the steps to holistically improve your overall life, and combine that with treating your hair loss with proven treatments like Propecia and Minoxidil, along with other quality treatments that are known to help fight hair loss by combating DHT and inflammation and the various other processes involved in hair loss, you're doing the best that you can do. Don't fret it any further.
Improving your attitude won't by itself regrow any hair, but you'll be far more likely to take good care of yourself and your overall appearance, and you'll be giving yourself the tools to stick with your hair loss treatment regimen with more resolve and consistency, so in a way attitude indirectly may help you take the action to keep as much hair as you have for as long as possible. Which is the best we can ask for until a cure for hair loss comes along.
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