According to a study published in the journal Economics Bulletin, blonde-haired people are every bit as smart as their darker-hued counterparts.
Researchers at Ohio State University examined 10,878 men and women to determine if hair color had anything to do with intelligence. Participants in the study were given the Armed Forces Qualification Test, an exam used by the Pentagon to determine intelligence of all recruits.
“This study provides compelling evidence that there shouldn’t be any discrimination against blondes based on their intelligence,” said author Jay Zagorsky, a scientist at Ohio State University.
The study showed blonde haired women have a higher mean IQ (103.2 points) than women with brown (102.7), red (101.2) or black hair (100.5). Blondes were also more likely to be classified as geniuses and less likely to have an extremely low IQ than women with other hair colors, the researchers found.
Among blonde haired men, the average mean IQ was 103.9, a fraction lower than the average of brown haired men (104.4) but above those with red locks (100.5) or black hair (100.1)
While the jokes about dumb blondes abound, the researchers said stereotypes can have economic consequences as well.
“A persistent myth in the U.S. is that blonde-haired women are more beautiful but less intelligent than women with other hair colors,ยด Zagorsky wrote. “Women with blonde hair are often considered beautiful, but dumb, which is a potentially harmful stereotype since many employers seek intelligent workers.”
The study was published in the journal Economics Bulletin.
