Hair Part Swithcheroos

The reason that hair parts can affect personalities is that most people wear the same part day in and day out, often since childhood. The psychological term is "interactional continuity" (which arises when an individual's style evokes reciprocal, sustaining responses from others in ongoing social interaction, thereby reinstating the behavior pattern across the individual's life course ( Caspi, Avshalom "Continuities and Consequences of Interactional Styles Across the Life Course")

So given that many people, especially men, stay on the same side their whole life, its pretty interesting when public figures, and or movie casting has the person switching...does it change the personality? Well, it will change the perception of the person, and perhaps lead to a different lifestyle, and maybe over a longer period, someones original personality could be considered to be changed.

The most famous example of switching is President Jimmy Carter, who in 1979 was delivering that famous "malaise" speech. As it turns out, John Walter wrote to him to suggest that he switch his hair part (the letter referenced the story of the little girl who wrote to Lincoln to suggest he grow a beard). About 6 weeks later he actually did change, and if you look at him 3o years later, hes a long way away from that rather naive peanut farmer persona he came to Washington with:

Then there is the Superman/Clark Kent switch that made me fall out of my seat when i saw it - how perfect an example of the two stereotypical personalities created by the left and right hair parts:

What's also interesting is that the actor that plays superman in Superman 2006, Branon Routh, has the Clark Kent right part, but also his Superman has a right part...not much difference in the two, no?

Imagine both of these images reversed - see how the left part changes the picture!

Also, look at Smallville's Clark Kent: Left part, no nerdiness there!

From England (March 2007):

http://timesonline.typepad.com/comment/2007/03/spot_the_differ.html?cid=106564728#comments

March 13, 2007
Spot the difference
In "Won't Get Fooled Again", The Who sing of how the "parting on the left becomes the parting on the right".
Times cartoonist Peter Brookes has noticed that Cameron's parting on the right has become a parting on the left. It's a pleasure. All part of the Comment Central service.

The left picture shows Cameron as he was until early this month. On the right, Cameron yesterday.
(UPDATE: Extensive picture research suggests that the change took place between Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday 7th March and 11.58am on Thursday 8th March)
(question: now that a full year has passed, is there any difference in Cameron's

public persona?)http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1511688.ece