Whorls apart
minerva42 points out a story in the June 25th issue of New York Magazine by David France (2007) on possibly perceptible correlates to "gayness." France discussed physical/visible differences between gay and straight people with Richard Lippa, who is currently researching hair whorl direction as a possible correlate, according to the article. Lippa suspects that counter-clockwise whorls will be found more often in homosexual men.
Hair whorls have actually been studied since at least the 1970's. Smith and Gong (1973) suggest that counter-clockwise hair whorl is an indicator of abnormal brain development. Alexander et al (1993) cautiously reported a higher incidence of counter-clockwise whorls in schizophrenic patients. Amar Klar (2004) suggests that a similar genetic mechanism passes on hair whorl and handedness, and found a much higher incidence of counter-clockwise whorl in suspected gay populations (he counted whorls at gay beaches). Ziering and Krenitsky (2003) found that white males had the most distinct whorls, with African Americans and women more likely to have a "diffusion pattern."
My initial, flip, interpretation of hair-whorl direction was that it was because gay men brushed their hair while looking in a mirror, and that straight men did it by feel. However, Amar insists that 96% of people have an innate, unalterable hair whorl. Attempts to demonstrate a relationship between handedness and sexual orientation have had very mixed results. Klar suggests that the genetic mechanism by which handedness and whorl are determined is similar, so I'd suspect that in the final analysis, whorl will turn out to be a weak indicator at best. The fact that this possible indicator is largely present only in white males is a whole other can of worms, but I feel it's worth mentioning that this feels like a continuation of the stereotype that all men are white, and that all homosexuals are male.
(Comments locked 28JUN2010 due to spam activity)
Hair whorls have actually been studied since at least the 1970's. Smith and Gong (1973) suggest that counter-clockwise hair whorl is an indicator of abnormal brain development. Alexander et al (1993) cautiously reported a higher incidence of counter-clockwise whorls in schizophrenic patients. Amar Klar (2004) suggests that a similar genetic mechanism passes on hair whorl and handedness, and found a much higher incidence of counter-clockwise whorl in suspected gay populations (he counted whorls at gay beaches). Ziering and Krenitsky (2003) found that white males had the most distinct whorls, with African Americans and women more likely to have a "diffusion pattern."
My initial, flip, interpretation of hair-whorl direction was that it was because gay men brushed their hair while looking in a mirror, and that straight men did it by feel. However, Amar insists that 96% of people have an innate, unalterable hair whorl. Attempts to demonstrate a relationship between handedness and sexual orientation have had very mixed results. Klar suggests that the genetic mechanism by which handedness and whorl are determined is similar, so I'd suspect that in the final analysis, whorl will turn out to be a weak indicator at best. The fact that this possible indicator is largely present only in white males is a whole other can of worms, but I feel it's worth mentioning that this feels like a continuation of the stereotype that all men are white, and that all homosexuals are male.
(Comments locked 28JUN2010 due to spam activity)