# Can behavior affect our DNA

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-behavior-affect-our-dna/992736>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 7, 2023, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-behavior-affect-our-dna/992736 "2023-11-07T06:40:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 211

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-behavior-affect-our-dna/992736/211 "2023-11-22T18:30:15Z")

</div>

> [@kayaker](#):
>
> The same thing happens with hair! The hair follicle isolates the hair protein. If the follicle bursts, the body reacts as if the hair is foreign material.

When I was about 19 styling our hair with hairdryers was the thing. One time I burned my scalp pretty bad and my hair started falling out. Within about a year it settled in to where it pretty much stayed for the next 30 years or so. It would grow about 1" then fall out. I wonder if my follicles were exploding?

---

_[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-behavior-affect-our-dna/992736)._
