No Evidence Hair Color Relates To Intelligence

Q: Is there any evidence or study that shows a relationship between hair color and intelligence?

A: There is no evidence that hair color has any correlation to intelligence or to personality traits. But plenty of studies show that, unfortunately, stereotypes of dumb blondes are deeply ingrained in our culture.

A 1999 BRITISH STUDY found people assumed that platinum blondes were less intelligent than people with other color hair. Researchers at the UNIVERSITY OF COVENTRY asked 60 men and 60 women to look at a model wearing wigs of four colors -- platinum blond, natural blond, brown, and red. The platinum-blond model was rated less intelligent, especially by men. The brunette-wigged model was perceived as "shy," the natural blond as "popular."

A 1999 GERMAN STUDY showed that blondes score lower on intelligence tests after reading blonde jokes. Researchers at the INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY BREMEN found that blondes worked slowly on the tests to try to avoid mistakes, after reading about how dumb they are supposed to be.

Women have been lightening their hair -- and being labeled artificial for doing so -- since Roman times. Many say the modern origin of the stereotype is the 1925 book GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES by brunette ANITA LOOS. Loos' heroine and narrator was gold-digger LORELEI LEE, whose shallow and materialistic outlook became legendary.

Then began a long line of dumb show-biz blondes -- from JEAN HARLOW in the 1930s to JESSICA SIMPSON today. The most famous might have been MARILYN MONROE, who played LORELEI LEE in the 1953 movie based on Loos' book.