Blonde hair coloration is due to the absence of a pigment called eumelanine, however, there seems to be a widespread belief that blondes are also missing something else: intelligence Who has never heard that blondes are stupid?You can put your hand down, almost everyone has heard that phrase and sometimes we’ve even used it, but what’s wrong with it?Is this a myth or is there research showing that blondes are less intelligent?And for people who dye their hair, is this naivety contagious?
This stereotype, which particularly affects women, is based on two beliefs: that blondes are sexy and that handsome guys are stupid, is a list of ideas that we have when we consider that attractive people don’t need to use their intelligence to achieve their goals. .
- The funny thing is that these perceptions are not a cliché of today’s society.
- But respond to a belief we inherit from our farthest-flung ancestors.
- For many European cultures.
- Blonde hair was an attractive trait.
- Which was enhanced if still accompanied by blue.
- Eyes.
- Let’s travel through ancient Rome.
- At that time.
- The Romans.
- Mostly brunettes.
- Were looking for all sorts of tricks to dye their hair blond because they envied the slaves their husbands brought from the Germanic countryside.
If you look at the 20th century, perhaps the first stupid blond icon and the one that influenced the current belief the most is Lorelei Lee, a character marilyn Monroe gave life to. Inspired by the soap opera “Prefer Blondes”, it tells the story of a partner of wealthy men. This amateur blonde oxygenated with diamonds, more than stupid is shallow, but has contributed a lot to the popular myth that blondes are more attractive and libertine than brunettes.
If we look for a scientific explanation that explains why a certain hair color is more or less attractive, we will find a biological reason inherited from our primitive ancestors. Hunting was very dangerous; There were few adults prepared for this and women depended on men to feed, which has fostered sexual competition between women, a battle that blondes have always won, because they preferred them to brunettes, an election that seems to continue to lead today.
Another biological factor that would explain the success of blondes towards the male sex is the amount of estrogen these women have, higher than normal, a factor that gives them the most sexually appealing.
Other studies, which seek to study how this myth affects the intellectual performance of blondes and people in general, have had very surprising results. A group of French scientists led by Thierry Meyer has demonstrated how people of both sexes and different hair colors reduce their intellectual capacity. ability after seeing photographs of blonde women, even though they are intelligent people.
Meyer justifies the results of this study in the fact that stereotypes, beliefs rooted in society, unconsciously condition our thinking; although stereotypes do not always correspond to reality, they function as a lens through which we see reality and act accordingly.