It might be time to retire the dumb blonde myth as scientists conclude there is no truth behind the sentiment in a new study.

Research Shoots Down 'Dumb Blonde' Stereotype

The study included 10,878 Americans from data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79), which is a national survey conducted among people between the ages of 14 and 21 back in 1979.

The participants took the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT), an exam that the Pentagon uses to determine the intelligence of recruits. Five years later, they were all asked to identify their natural color.

Jay Zagorsky, author of the recent study and a research scientist at the Center for Human Resource Research (CHRR) of The Ohio State University, didn't include the African-American and Hispanic participants to remove the ethnic and racial factors from the findings.

It was discovered that white women with a natural hair color of blonde had an average IQ score of 103.2, higher than the 102.7 of women with brown hair, 101.2 of those with red hair and 100.5 of those with black hair.

Smart Blondes on the Rise?

As well as having a higher average IQ, blondes are also more likely to be part of the highest IQ group and less likely to be part of the lowest bracket, according to the study. However, Zagorsky explained that although the average IQ of the blonde participants were higher, the figures and the gap weren't statistically significant.

"I don't think you can say with certainty that blondes are smarter than others, but you can definitely say they are not any dumber," he revealed, adding that another reason why fair-haired women could have developed more intelligence was because they grew up in homes with access to more reading materials and intellectual stimulation.

Danger of Stereotypes

In his conversation with The Ohio State University News, Zagorsky also cautioned that perpetuating the stereotype of blondes being less intelligent than their peers can have negative implications in real life.

"Research shows that stereotypes often have an impact on hiring, promotions and other social experiences," he pointed out.

A previous report from Latin Post highlighted "human Barbie doll" Ashton Clark who is a picture-perfect vision of the famous blonde doll. The 22-year-old University of Tennessee student is determined to be known for more than just her looks though, as she is currently working as a clinical psychology research assistant with plans to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology.