Study Finds Blondes to Be More Intelligent Than Brunettes or Redheads

Stereotypes surrounding hair colors have been around for years, with redheads being labeled as feisty, brunettes as too serious, and blondes as dumb. But unsurprisingly, these labels are pretty much completely false, particularly the stereotype that blondes are incompetent, thanks to a compelling study that seems to prove otherwise.

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The claim was dismissed by a recent study that analyzed a stream of surveys conducted by the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79), in which people between the ages of 14 and 21 years old were interviewed, beginning in 1979 until the present. All respondents were asked for their natural hair color. African-Americans and Hispanics were not included in the study, in order to eliminate any ethnic and racial bias. Then participants took the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) to determine their IQ scores, with a focus on general science, arithmetic reasoning, word knowledge, and overall intelligence.

The results were absolutely fascinating. It turns out that natural blondes had a higher IQ average than people with any other hair color, their average being 103.2. Brunettes followed close behind, scoring an IQ average of 102.7, with redheads at 101.2 and those with black hair at 100.5.

Although the reasoning behind the higher IQ averages can’t be confirmed as dependent on genetics, scientists did see an overlying theme among blondes that could contribute to their higher IQs. People with naturally blond hair were found to have typically grown up in environments with more reading materials available to them, allowing for more intellectual stimulation during their early growth period than people with other hair colors had.

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So maybe it’s time to toss aside the “dumb blonde” stereotype completely, as it’s been proven utterly false. The next time it comes up, just remember that in terms of brain power, blondes are ranking supreme across the board.