OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD; SELF-ESTEEM LINKED TO ATTITUDE ABOUT HAIR.

Byline: Steve Carney Staff Writer

A bad hair day can leave your self-esteem as flat as your curls, while good hair can make you feel as slick as a handful of pomade, according to a Yale University study released today.

The report shows that people who think their hair looks bad consequently feel less capable, less smart, less sociable and more embarrassed.

``I could see that, especially with women. Their whole feeling is in the way they look. It's their security,'' said Deanna Dorse, 33, a hair stylist in Woodland Hills. ``It sounds terribly shallow, but that's the kind of world we live in. It's a superficial world.''

But the study shows that men might be even more frazzled by the frizzies than are women. Men suffering through a bad haircut or an unruly cowlick were more likely than women to feel less smart or capable, according to an Associated Press account of the study.

``The cultural truism is men are not affected by their appearance,'' said Marianne LaFrance, the Yale professor who conducted the study. ``This is not just the domain of women.''

Mindy Spence, a 22-year-old actress from Burbank, said she thinks some of the respondents are overreacting, however.

``I like to keep my feet planted firmly on the ground whether I'm bald or have hair to the floor,'' she said.

But Rosie Rost, a hair stylist for 30 years, said the findings make perfect sense. She works with chemotherapy patients who have lost their hair, and sees how stylish wigs can transform their moods.

``Here they've got cancer and they're focusing on their hair,'' said Rost, owner of Hair House in Woodland Hills. ``Hair is really important. If you've had a bad haircut, you know what I'm talking about.''

And Sheila Altman of Woodland Hills knows just how important - she temporarily lost her hair last year during a bout of shingles.

``Whether we're attractive or not, we need to feel attractive, and I think hair is a big part of that,'' said the 53-year-old property manager.

Researchers surveyed 60 men and 60 women from 17 to 30, most of them Yale students. About half were white, 21 percent were Asian, 9 percent were African-American and 3 percent were Latino.

They were separated into three groups. The first group was told to think about times when they had bad hair, the second was told to think about faulty product packages, to get them in a bad mood, and the third was told to not think about anything negative.

The groups were tested for self-esteem and self-judgment, and the bad hair group scored lower than the others.

The study was funded by Procter & Gamble, the manufacturer of shampoo and other beauty products.

Bobby Nehoray, 31, a builder from Sherman Oaks, agreed that people's looks can affect their moods, but the extent varies widely.

``If you're a hockey player and you show up to bash a bunch of guys' heads, you probably couldn't care less,'' he said.

Nehoray's friend Lucas Valadez, 35, of Long Beach, seems to fall in the ``couldn't care less'' category, even though his own curly hair cascades to the middle of his back.

``If I have a bad hair day, I just wear a cap,'' he said.