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Study: Blondes Make Men Act Dumber
Monday, November 19, 2007
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AP
Marilyn Monroe on the set of the movie 'Something's Got To Give' in April 1962; she died four months later and filming was never completed.
While blondes may have more fun, a new study suggests that fair-haired ladies may be making those around them dumber.
Researchers found that men's scores on general knowledge tests drop when they are shown photos of blonde women, the Sunday Times of London reported.
Upon further inspection, it was found that the test subjects were not distracted by the light hair, but driven by social stereotypes to "think blonde."
• Click here for the Times of London report.
"This proves that people confronted with stereotypes generally behave in line with them," Thierry Meyer, joint author of the study and professor of social psychology at the University of Paris X-Nanterre, told the Times of London. "In this case blondes have the potential to make people act in a dumber way, because they mimic the unconscious stereotype of the dumb blonde."
The study indicates a belief by scientists that stereotyping is a powerful driving force in interacting with others.
For example, previous research found that people talk more slowly in front of the elderly, the Times reported.
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