Throughout our lives, we have heard so many different takes on how people's physical attributes can reveal so much about their personality traits.
We've been told over and over again that "blondes have more fun," "brunettes get it done," and "redheads are feisty."
In literature, it's not uncommon to see these types of stereotypes reinforced. In many stories, hair as well as eye color are used to describe a character's personality.
Of course, these are all stereotypes that don't always reflect reality, but did you ever stop to think that perhaps they are based on something that was once true?
A group of researchers at Germany's University of Regensburg decided to put one of these stereotypes to the test in 2011 and the results are quite interesting.
Martin Grí¼ndl, Sebastian Knoll, Marita Eisenmann-Klein, and Lukas Prantl asked 80 participants to rate the attractiveness of 60 women aged 15-65 by looking at the photos of their eye areas only.
To their surprise, "no correlation was found between iridal color and rated attractiveness," however, the participants picked "the color blue more often as a positive aspect than other iridal colors."
So while the color of your eye may not necessarily affect your chances of finding a mate, you may have more success if you have blue eyes and larger pupils. This is because they're "significantly correlated with youthfulness."
But if you're someone who has been blessed with beautiful baby blues, attractiveness isn't the only characteristic you hold. Here are a few more interesting facts about people with blue eyes:
1. They're all related
It's weird to think about, especially if your partner is also blue-eyed, but it's true. A Danish study revealed that the 17% of the world's blue-eyed peeps are related. This is because blue eyes are believed to be the result of a single mutation that occurred at some point in the last 10,000 years.
2. They tolerate pain well
According to another study by the University of Pittsburgh, women with light eyes can handle pain better than those who boast darker hues.
3. They're sensitive to light
Blue-eyed folks may have a high tolerance for pain, but the same can't be said about UV rays. Blue eyes have less melanin than dark eyes, which makes them so much more sensitive to light.
4. They don't like change
Researchers at Berkeley University discovered that people with blue eyes don't accept change as quickly as those with darker eye colors. The study, which compared the personalities of young people with blue and brown eyes, found that those with the lighter colored eyes were a lot more shy.
5. They have poor reflexes
While studying the relationship between eye color and motor performance, scientists found that children with blue eyes had slower reflexes than children with brown eyes. The 1987 study, which involved children in PhysEd class, concluded that blue-eyed kids has slower reactions times when playing sports like basketball, football, baseball, and more.
6. They're more prone to diabetes
If you have blue eyes, you might want to watch your sugar intake because Italian researchers found that people with blue eyes are 12% more likely to develop diabetes.
7. They're not trusted
In 2013, a study carried about by Karel Kleisner and his team at the University in Prague, Czech Republic, concluded that many find brown-eyed folks more trustworthy than those with blue eyes.
8. They're likely to become alcoholics
A study published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics: Neuropsychiatric Genetics (Part B) found that people with light-colored eyes have a higher risk of alcohol dependency. Of all the colors, blue eyes showed the strongest association.
Do you have blue eyes? Let us know in the comments!