6 Scientifically-Proven Differences You Never Knew Between Blondes and Brunettes

If you ever want to witness a fight between a man and a woman, try asking him his preferred hair color in women.  If his choice is not the color currently featured on his beloved’s head, there is bound to be some sort of trouble.

“But what’s the big deal,” men often ask.  They don’t understand – for women, there is a psychological, not just physical, change associated with their hair color.  And with that said, here are six little-known differences between blondes and brunettes, from the latest scientific literature:

1.  On average, blondes take longer to get ready.

A study conducted by Goody Hair Care in 2009 (with over 3000 participants) found that blondes take 6 minutes longer than their darker-haired counterparts to get ready.  Blondes will spend an average of 72 minutes a day on their beauty routine compared to 66 minutes for brunettes. This equates to blondes spending 22 days a year getting ready, compared to 19 for brunettes.

2.  Natural blondes have more hair than natural brunettes.

According to Marilyn Sherlock, a trichologist from MIT, natural blondes have approximately 120,000-147,000 hairs, while brunettes have 100,000-120,000.  This makes perfect sense, as evolutionary biology tells us that hair evolved partially to protect the scalp from potentially damaging UV rays.  As darker hair contains more of the pigment melanin, it naturally provides more of a protective barrier, and hence brunettes needed less hair to serve the same purpose.  Furthermore, people of certain descents (African, Indian, Mediterranean) tend also to have thicker hair, which also provides more protection from the sun.  Hence, natural blondes simply needed more strands of hair – and they retain it to this day.

3.  A man’s preference in a woman’s hair color stems from his own hair color – and life experience.

Although some reports state that Caucasian men generally prefer fair-haired women, an interesting review noted research that brunette men preferred brunette women; blonde men equally preferred blondes and brunettes; and blonde, brunette, and red-headed women all preferred dark-haired men.  (All study participants were Caucasian and surveyed in 1971, during the decade in which sales of blonde hair dye were the highest between 1960 and 2000).

Still, I think we all have friends and acquaintances who have preferences for partners that are clear exceptions to these guidelines (and I don’t think Robert Redford ever had a problem getting a date.  I’m just sayin’). Furthermore, research has shown that both men and women are attracted to certain partners based on their intrapersonal interactions with others; that is, if you always had brown-haired friends growing up, but a blonde-haired bully picked on you constantly, you are more likely to stick to brown-haired partners later in life.  This gets into a whole lot of psychological and sociological research that is outside of my realm (this is futurederm.com, not futurepsych.com, after all), but if you are interested in learning more, try Dr. Helen Fisher’s Why We Love, the best book I’ve ever read on the subject.

4.  Blonde waitresses (restaurant servers) earn better tips.

Despite their perceived level of overall attractiveness, blonde waitresses receive higher tips than darker-haired waitresses.  In a 2009 survey of 482 waitresses conducted by Cornell University, blondes earned statistically-significant higher tips than their brunette counterparts, despite their reported levels of “sexiness”.  What ever happened to 15% for standard service and 20% for good service for all?  Hm.  Moving on…

5.  Brunettes are perceived upon first meeting to be more intelligent.

Research has shown that raters perceive women with dark hair to be more intelligent at a first meeting, as found in a 2007 science project in the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, amongst other studies.  The reason for the bias is unknown, but I speculate that it is due to the simple fact that women dye their hair blonde more than any other color.  Not only does this mean that there are more blondes than brunettes after a certain age, but this also means that women who spend extra time focused on beauty and their appearance are more likely to be blonde.  With that said, there are many incredibly smart blondes out there, including several of my own mentors in dermatology – so hopefully this is one bias that will go out of practice soon.

6.  When women dye their hair lighter, they feel more fun.

It’s true – when women dye their hair lighter, they have been proven to go out more (3 nights/week for blondes versus 2 for brunettes) and to feel more confident and youthful.  According to British hairstylist Andrew Barton in the UK Daily Mail, “‘I don’t believe it is purely a coincidence that there’s been a huge sales rise in blonde hair products during these tough financial times…Many of my female clients say they feel more confident, more youthful and more attractive when they go blonde…With only 10 per cent of UK women having naturally blonde hair, choosing to be blonde must be more than about how you look.”

Why this phenomenon exists is unknown.  Part may be due to societal influences, as the majority of the Hollywood celebrities are blonde.  Another theory is that many Caucasian women are born with hair that darkens with age, and so dyeing their hair represents a return not only to their roots, but also to their youth.  One additional possibility is that blonde hair is somewhat more forgiving of skin imperfections, which is why most women choose to lighten their hair as they get older.   The truth of the matter is, however, the reason is unknown.

The Bottom Line

Although all of the aforementioned information is provided by scientific literature, the bottom line is that this article is just for fun.  There are many beautiful and intelligent women who are both blonde and brunette.  While each hair color may impart some of its own minor advantages upon a first meeting, the truth of the matter is that, over time, most of these perceived advantages will give way to the time-tested traits of its wearer, like excellent character, honesty, and benevolence.

Have a thought in the blonde-brunette pool?  Add it in Comments below!  🙂

Photo Source (Flickr):  Blonde Brunette Originally uploaded by rene1956