Could your hair color affect how people see you? Does each hair color have its own personality type?
Research has shown that people actually tend to associate certain hair colors with specific personality traits.
So what does this mean for you, whether you’re brunette, redhead or blonde?
For our blonde friends, it turns out that even the age-old adage that “blonde people have more fun” is a myth, so it’s hard to know what’s true these days.
When it comes to comparing the pleasure of blonde women versus brunettes, researchers published a study in the Medical Journal of Australia concluding that there was no basis for it.
But what kind of “fun” do men expect to have with blonde women versus brunette ones?
Why do men like blondes?
Studies have shown that women with lighter hair colors are often rated as more approachable in places like nightclubs than their brunette counterparts. Blondes also tend to earn more money and marry richer.
This may seem like a bitter pill to swallow for the 70% of the world’s population who call themselves brunettes. But before you reach for bleach, take note of a 2011 study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Psychology.
For the study, a fair-skinned woman visited three different nightclubs on three separate nights – one as a brunette, one as a blonde, and one as a redhead. To keep each of her hair colors natural, her hair has been professionally dyed.
More men approached the woman in the nightclub when her locks were dyed blonde, implying that the lighter shade was the ultimate winner.
But the other part of the study’s purpose was to find out how men interpret each hair color and what qualities they tend to associate with brunettes, redheads and blondes. It turned out that men attributed very distinct personality traits to each hair color.
While blondes may be the ones with easier access to the dating and work scenes, it’s brunettes who are taken more seriously.
The researchers asked the men in the nightclub to rate photographs of the same woman with each shade of hair (blonde, brown, or red). As a redhead, she was considered more temperamental.
But as a blonde, she was considered more needy.
However, as a brunette, men had deemed her more “physically attractive, intelligent, approachable, competent” – and arrogant. (Ouch.)
But the problem remained that, despite being seen as needy, men still approached blonde women with the most frequency – even after men called brunettes more attractive and physically approachable.
In another study with the opinions of over 350 men, researchers cited an evolutionary explanation for men’s preference for women with blonde hair.
Blonde-haired women were considered “younger” and, therefore, better caregivers for potential offspring.
However, The Journal of Social Psychology has shown that men feel the same about women with blonde and brown hair. However, they didn’t feel that way when it came to dark-haired women.
These preferences were all related to men making “complex judgments about women regarding their desirable relationship and parenting potential based on discernable characteristics such as hair color.”
So, do men prefer blondes or brunettes?
Even science claims that humans make “complex judgments”, even unconsciously, about finding someone they would hypothetically procreate with if we were all still living in caves.
The blond ones are not necessarily winners.
But that definitely doesn’t mean anyone should change their look, assuming it will make them more attractive. Think bombshell Megan Fox or the ubiquitous “cool girl” Zooey Deschanel – they put men into overdrive in droves.
Much like fashion trends and unattractive personalities, many factors can contribute to how men perceive different women and whether they will find them attractive. Everyone has their own preferences, especially when it comes to intentionally seeking commitment to a long-term partner, especially if they are planning to settle down and have children.
Learn your strengths, harness them, radiate confidence, and remember how charming a simple smile can be. Buy a wig – see what happens!
Kait Smith is an editor, writer, social media manager, higher education professional, and graduate student. The list is lengthened increasingly. Visit his website to learn more.