For whatever reason, there are exponentially more legends about redheads than there are about people with any other hair color. Maybe it's because red hair is so rare compared to other colors.
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00:00Like stereotypes about any group of people, it should come as no surprise that many of
00:05the weird rumors and legends about redheads aren't always true.
00:10These are just some of the most popular ginger myths, and why they just don't hold any water.
00:17Surely you've heard the myth that all redheads have not just a short fuse, but also a fiery
00:22temper.
00:23Or perhaps you think that they tend to be bolder or brasher in general, and are quick
00:28to act on their impulses.
00:31After all, the color red is often associated with strong emotions like passion, hence the
00:36red boxes of candy that litter the shelves every Valentine's Day.
00:40But the reality is that redheads are inherently no more prone to explosive anger or even curt
00:46crankiness than anyone else.
00:48They are unfortunately more susceptible than others to being bullied, according to the
00:54So perhaps there's some psychology at work that reinforces the stereotype.
00:59Constant bullying certainly can have an impact on victims.
01:03But there are some other interesting factors at work here.
01:07Redheads do produce more adrenaline than others, according to Red!
01:11A History of the Redhead by Jackie Collis Harvey, which means they, quote,
01:16fire up more rapidly than others.
01:18I'm in my wedding dress.
01:19It doesn't have pockets.
01:20Who has pockets?
01:21Have you ever seen a bride with pockets?
01:22When I went to my fitting at Cher's Allison, the one thing I forgot to say was, give me
01:29pockets!
01:30If gingers are more prone to possessing a fiery temper, as the stereotype suggests,
01:35they must also be a hot mess in emergency situations, right?
01:39All of that adrenaline rushing in will no doubt make them lose their minds and start
01:44freaking out about the situation, as opposed to keeping calm and getting through it.
01:49Actually, that couldn't be further from the truth.
01:52That's because not only do gingers produce more adrenaline in general, but they can also
01:57access it faster than blondes or brunettes, according to Red!
02:01A History of the Redhead.
02:03And because they can synthesize the hormone more quickly, that makes them more adept in
02:07fight-or-flight scenarios.
02:09So they'd definitely have a head start while being chased by a bear or getting away from
02:14some bad dudes while you straggle behind them.
02:17So when you're assembling your survival squad for the zombie apocalypse, be sure to include
02:22a ginger or two.
02:23They might just save your life.
02:26Another pervasive myth about redheads, especially female redheads, is that they're utterly insatiable
02:32in bed.
02:33You only need to look at Allison Hannigan's character in American Pie to see the stereotype
02:38in action.
02:39While she's pretty nerdy for most of the film, she turns into a wild sexpot toward the end.
02:45It's not just in the media that redheads are painted as nymphomaniacs who will lure you
02:49into bed after the first date.
02:52There's also a widely cited study by a German researcher by the name of Dr. Werner Habermehl
02:58that confirms that gingers are more sexually active than blondes or brunettes.
03:04But according to The Big Redhead Book, the study wasn't published in any reputable journals,
03:09and it didn't provide any information about who this so-called scientist is.
03:15It also didn't address natural versus dyed hair.
03:18Sounds like there's something fishy going on for sure.
03:21Without a scientifically sound study to prove that gingers get it on more often, there's
03:26just no corroborating the age-old rumor.
03:29Historically, our ginger brethren have not had it especially easy, according to U.S.
03:35News & World Report.
03:36Much of that was due to the beliefs that people in ancient civilizations had about them, which
03:41were often rooted in a supernatural fear or concern.
03:45For example, men with red hair were burned alive in ancient Egypt, even though it's thought
03:50that Cleopatra herself might have had red hair.
03:54Who knew?
03:55Additionally, Aristotle believed that redheads had bad character, and the early Greeks believed
04:01that redheads turned into vampires.
04:04And perhaps the most egregious example of gingers being targeted was in medieval Europe,
04:09where approximately 45,000 red-headed women were murdered because of suspected ties to
04:15witchcraft and magic.
04:17Yikes!
04:18We have found a witch!
04:19Might we burn her?
04:20Burn her!
04:21Burn her!
04:22Burn her!
04:23Burn her!
04:24Who do you know she is a witch?
04:25She looks like one!
04:28Gingers still face various kinds of persecution and discrimination today, according to The
04:33Guardian, which is unfortunate to say the least.
04:36What is it about redheads that inspires such hatred?
04:41Genetics determines so much about us as people, from the color of our eyes to the size of
04:46our noses to how short or tall we end up.
04:49That explains why we're all so diverse in a number of ways, thanks to these tiny codes
04:54and directives that determine who we become.
04:57Blonde, brunette, jet black, or ginger, we're all pretty much alike on the inside, right?
05:03Surprisingly enough, no.
05:06Gingers are actually the result of a genetic mutation on the MC1R gene, according to the
05:11National Institutes of Health.
05:14That explains why being a redhead is so hard to fake, given that it's written into our
05:18DNA on the genetic level.
05:20Also, you can now enjoy being able to call your red-headed friends mutants, because they
05:25are.
05:26No, just kidding.
05:27Don't do that.
05:28In fact, don't call anybody a mutant, ever.
05:31What's the matter, baby?
05:37You don't think I look pretty like this?
05:39Because of the mutation, redheads have less of the dark pigment and more of the red pigment
05:44that dictates the shades and hues of our hair and skin.
05:47The result is fairer skin, redder hair, and paler eyes than the average person, along
05:52with, of course, more of those trademark ginger freckles.
05:57Given that lady gingers are often treated like they have a hot temperament, it makes
06:01sense that people may jump to call them shrill if they protest while getting a shot or while
06:06undergoing a dental procedure.
06:08But, well, no one enjoys getting a root canal, after all, and receiving an injection isn't
06:13exactly a walk in the park.
06:15Interestingly enough, however, that mutation on the MC1R gene that bestows female redheads
06:21with their signature locks also brings with it a greater sensitivity to certain kinds
06:26of pain.
06:27In one study by the National Institutes of Health, it was revealed that they are more
06:31sensitive to thermal pain and more resistant to local anesthetics than the rest of us.
06:36Additionally, according to a study in Anesthesiology, they need more anesthesia on the operating
06:42table than non-ginger folks, so they're not making a scene or exaggerating their pain.
06:48It's real.
06:49In a fascinating twist, however, redheaded women respond better to painkillers than anyone,
06:54including men, according to Science Daily.
06:57Weirdly enough, one of the strangest rumors circulating around on the internet is that
07:02redheads are stung by bees and stinging insects more often than their non-ginger counterparts.
07:08So claims a listicle on BuzzFeed, which asserts that anecdotal evidence suggests that this
07:14is indeed a thing redheads will attest to.
07:17There's one problem with that theory, though, because of this little thing called...science.
07:23For one, there are no legitimate studies that have ever proven that bees are itching to
07:28sting Jessica Chastain more than Jennifer Lawrence.
07:32Additionally, according to KREM, while bees have a broader range of color vision than
07:37humans, they can't really see the color red.
07:40That kind of takes the oomph out of that theory, huh?
07:43To be fair, bees are more sensitive to smells than they are to any colors, so maybe there's
07:48something at work there.
07:50But until it's proven, it looks like we're all at the same risk of getting stung.
07:56Speaking of smells, there's no rational reason to suspect that redheads would smell any different
08:01than other people.
08:02But then again, gingers are apparently a little bit more magical than the rest of us, and
08:07that applies to how they smell, too.
08:09According to The Big Redhead Book, the first documentation of this unique phenomenon was
08:14in an 1866 book.
08:17In it, the author theorized that ladies have an aroma that's tied to the color of their
08:21mane, and for redheads, that smell was ambergris.
08:25What exactly is ambergris, you might be wondering?
08:28"...this is ambergris.
08:31It might look like a rock, but it's actually a rare kind of whale poop."
08:36Of course, that wasn't exactly hard science, and it wasn't published in a contemporary
08:41peer-reviewed journal.
08:43But there is some science at play here, as gingers have a skin mantle that's more acidic
08:48than non-gingers.
08:49So when they apply perfume or a scented oil to their skin, it smells differently than
08:54others.
08:55Additionally, gingers may have to reapply scented products more often, as they don't
09:00last quite as long.
09:02If you watch a lot of television and don't skip past the commercials, you've probably
09:05noticed that redheads are in an awful lot of them.
09:09That's not your imagination.
09:10Janet Harris, the president of Upstream Analysis, a social and traditional media analysis firm,
09:16summarized study results in an article in HuffPost.
09:20According to their findings, redheads are in 30 percent of commercials during prime
09:24time, and ginger ladies are twice as likely to appear in them as men.
09:29Wendy's anyone?
09:30But just because they're frequent flyers in advertising doesn't mean gingers are all that
09:34common.
09:35In fact, according to Red, A History of the Redhead, they comprise approximately 2 percent
09:40of the entire world's population, which is really not a lot.
09:44In Europe, the stats are a little bit higher, where they account for 2 to 6 percent of the
09:49population.
09:50So what's the reason gingers are so rare?
09:53It comes down to genetics, as being a redhead is a recessive trait, just like having blue
09:58eyes is.
09:59So if you have red hair and blue eyes, you're practically a unicorn.
10:04Congratulations!
10:06Given that the majority of the ginger population lives in European countries that tend to be
10:11cloudier than they are sunny, you might also be tempted to think that they don't need as
10:15much vitamin D as other people.
10:17But according to The Big Redhead Book, it's not as simple as it seems, of course.
10:22More ginger wizardry is at foot.
10:24The deal is that redheads need just as much vitamin D as regular folks do.
10:29But since they tend to live in those less-than-sunny places, they've evolved to create vitamin
10:34D in their bodies in a more efficient manner than everyone else.
10:38So when they do get some sunlight, they can produce more vitamin D in a shorter amount
10:42of time.
10:43Hey, you've gotta take the good with the bad, right?
10:47If you have a close relationship with a ginger gal, chances are you've noticed that she always
10:52carries an extra jacket and scarf with her, or that she curls up with a blanket even when
10:56no one else is using one.
10:58Chances are you've also gently teased her about always being cold and not being able
11:02to handle even the slightest cool down.
11:05But that doesn't mean the redheaded lady in your life is just being a wimp about the weather,
11:09or that it's all in her head, and science proves it.
11:13According to a study in the journal Anesthesiology, redheaded women are more sensitive to thermal
11:18pain, which means they're super susceptible to the extremes of both cold and hot temperatures.
11:24Apparently, that MC1R mutation has an impact on the way the gene that detects temperature
11:31functions, causing it to work harder than it needs to.
11:34Perhaps the silliest myth about gingers, more so than them being really feisty or super
11:40lusty, is the notion that they have no souls.
11:43While this bonkers idea may have roots in the historical and cultural persecutions of
11:48redheads, it became popular after an episode of South Park.
11:52In it, the character Eric Cartman gives a class presentation, explaining that gingers
11:56are soulless and afflicted with a condition called gingivitis.
12:00"'Sweetie, what is…'AHHHHH!'
12:01"'I'm ginger!'
12:02"'Oh my god, Eric!'
12:05"'Help me!''
12:08Of course, it was just a parody, and it was a satirical way to show how ridiculous discrimination
12:13is when it's based on what people look like or leveled at a group of people for no good
12:18reason.
12:19And even if there was a scientific way to prove that souls exist, gingers are no more
12:24and no less evil than anyone else as a collective.
12:27Of course redheaded individuals can be bad people, but that doesn't have anything to
12:32do with their phenotype.
12:34Myth busted.