Washington: Those with a fair head of hair can now take heart as a team of scientists has quashed the dumb blonde stereotype, showing that hair color is completely unrelated to intelligence.
The Ohio State University study of 10,878 Americans found that white women, who said their natural hair color was blonde had an average IQ score within 3 points of brunettes and those with red or black hair.
While jokes about blondes may seem harmless to some, author Jay Zagorsky said that as per the study, stereotypes often have an impact on hiring, promotions and other social experiences.
Zagorsky added that this study provides compelling evidence that there shouldn’t be any discrimination against blondes based on their intelligence.
The study found that the average IQ of blondes was actually slightly higher than those with other hair colors, but that finding isn’t statistically significant, said Zagorsky, adding “I don’t think you can say with certainty that blondes are smarter than others, but you can definitely say they are not any dumber.”
The results for blond white men were similar they also had IQs roughly equal to men with other hair colors.
The study is published in the journal Economics Bulletin. (ANI)