Blondes do not have more fun: a non‐blinded crossover field study

The statement “Blondes have more fun” is well known. Sir Roderick David Stewart presented the hypothesis in 1978 in his song “Blondes (have more fun)”,1 but the hypothesis was by no means new. It had even been investigated by Charles Darwin, although he never published his study.2 But as a literature search in PubMed found no hits for the combination of “blondes” (or “blonde”) and “fun”, we decided to study the assumption scientifically. We performed a thorough search to find an appropriate setting for the necessary investigations, and chose a hotel with a waterslide and associated pool area, as waterslides have the sole purpose of providing fun.

The authors of an earlier observational study concluded that a seated body position should be encouraged on waterslides,3 arguing that this provides good vision, contact with the slide, and allows for a slow descent. Further, velocity is quickly reduced upon water entry, as the seated position provides considerable frontal resistance. However, the authors reported neither hair colour nor whether the participants had any fun.

We therefore explored associations of hair colour with fun and with mood changes when riding a waterslide, both in the established optimal sitting position and when lying down.

Methods

We undertook a prospective observational field study with a crossover design. Even though our final study design was not a randomised controlled trial, we followed the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement to provide transparency in data reporting for our trial.4

Setting

The study was conducted in a pool area at a recreational hotel on the Mediterranean Sea (in Kuşadası, Turkey) during short breaks in a medical writing course for researchers. The waterslide was serpentine (ie, it changed direction several times throughout the ride; Box 1). Pool temperature was 22°C and pH was 7.4. Weather, water flow in the slide, and air pressure were constant during the study.

Participants

Based on local pool regulations (Box 2), participants were eligible for inclusion in our study if they were adults, had showered, and were wearing appropriate apparel for a pool area in a recreational hotel. Participants were excluded if intoxicated, had self‐reported contagious diseases, or if they were observed pushing others in the pool area, diving into the pool, or running in the pool area. Participants were informed about how the intervention was to be performed but were kept unaware of the study hypothesis. Participants were told that they were to ride the waterslide twice, once sitting upright and once lying on their back. Hair colour was visually inspected by the investigator, unbeknownst to the participants.

Intervention

Baseline data (weight, height, sex, hair colour) were recorded at inclusion, and participants were then instructed to walk 71 metres to an outdoor shower and to return after showering for at least one minute (ie, a wash‐in).

Upon returning, participants filled in the validated Profile of Mood States – Adolescents (POMS‐A) questionnaire.5 The POMS‐A questionnaire has been validated in adult as well as adolescent populations.6 Participants were then escorted by the investigators to the top of the slide (Box 2), where they were instructed to sit in the start tub, to hold the metal bar with both hands, and to then force themselves down the waterslide. For the first ride, participants sat in an upright position, feet first, with their arms crossed over their chest (Box 3, A). After completing the first ride, participants filled in the POMS‐A questionnaire as well as a visual analogue scale (VAS) in which they evaluated how much fun they had experienced during their ride.

The participants then had a wash‐out period, walking 71 metres to the outdoor shower, showering for one minute, and walking back to the investigators. After the wash‐out, participants again filled the POMS‐A questionnaire and were then escorted back to the start of the waterslide. For the second ride, participants were instructed to lie flat on their back, feet first, with their arms crossed over their chest after releasing the metal bar (Box 3, B). Upon completion of the second ride, participants again completed the POMS‐A and VAS. All rides were monitored by a local lifeguard.

Outcomes

Our primary outcome was fun experienced during watersliding as measured with the VAS. Secondary outcomes were ride duration (sitting upright, lying down) and POMS‐A scores before and after each ride. Hair colour was inspected visually by an investigator, sex was self‐reported, height was recorded from the participants’ passports, and weight was measured on a scale in the hotel fitness centre. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from weight and height. Waterslide rides were video‐recorded with a Sony RX1 camera (24 × 36 mm 24MP CMOS sensor, 35 mm f/2 Carl Zeiss lens) held in a fixed position. Duration of ride (duration of descent) was defined as the time between participants releasing their hands from the metal bar at the start of the ride to the time their heels hit the water surface of the splash pool at the end of the ride, calculated using video sequences (Premiere Pro CC 2018, Adobe). All data were collected in an electronic case report form and stored in Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap), an online secure database for clinical trial management.7

Sample size

No sample size calculations were performed for this study. Because of the limited time for our breaks, we were forced to employ convenience sampling, including all available participants who provided informed consent.

Blinding

Blinding was not applied, as a pilot study (unpublished) found that it was uncomfortable and unsafe for participants and impractical for investigators. Participants in the pilot study were blinded by wearing a hotel sleeping mask while on the waterslide after obtaining approval from the lifeguards. Blinding the investigators with sleeping masks was impractical, as blinded filming of rides compromised data collection.

Statistical methods

Statistical analyses were undertaken in SPSS Statistics 25 (IBM). Missing data values were replaced with the Expectation–Maximization function in SPSS. Participants with missing hair colour data (baldness) were excluded from comparisons between blondes and non‐blondes but included in all other analyses. Normality of continuous data was assessed by visual inspection of histograms and quantile–quantile plots. Normally distributed data were analysed in paired and unpaired t tests, as applicable; non‐normally distributed data were analysed in Mann–Whitney U tests. Categorical data were assessed in Pearson χ² tests.

Ethics approval

The study was exempt from ethics committee approval according to Danish Law, as the study was observational in nature, and the volunteers were recruited for an activity they would have chosen regardless of the study. The Regional Ethics Committee in Copenhagen provided guidance on ethical considerations and exemptions from approval (reference, H‐18041911). Nonetheless, oral and written consent was obtained from all participants.

Results

A total of 55 researchers attended the medical writing course, including the six investigators. Twenty‐one of the 49 other researchers were included in the study: ten blondes, nine non‐blondes (all were brunettes), and two with missing hair colour data (bald) (Box 4). All study participants were recruited on 1–2 June 2018; each completed the full intervention. The trial ended when the medical writing course finished, as the investigators and participants had to catch a flight from the airport.

Fun and speed

We found no significant difference in fun between blondes and non‐blondes, neither while sitting upright (P = 0.39) nor while lying down (P = 0.62) (Box 5). The duration of descent was significantly shorter while lying down (median, 9 s; range, 8–13 s) than when sitting up (median, 13.6 s; range, 8–37 s; P < 0.001), and lying down was significantly more fun (median VAS, 72; IQR, 60–85) than sitting up (median VAS, 41; IQR, 14–66; P = 0.002) (Box 5). Fun was negatively correlated with duration of descent (r = –0.64; P = 0.002) (Box 6). Height was negatively correlated with fun while sitting (r = –0.56; P = 0.008), but weight was correlated with neither speed nor fun (data not shown).

Profile of Mood States – Adolescents

Mood states were calculated according to the scoring instructions, with scores for six moods: anger, confusion, depression, fatigue, tension, and vigour. After descending the slide sitting, participants were significantly less confused (P = 0.002) and fatigued (P < 0.001). After descending the slide lying down, participants were significantly less fatigued (P = 0.005) and felt more vigorous (P < 0.001) (Box 5). Anger, depression, and tension were not affected in either position. There were no significant differences in mood change between blondes and non‐blondes (data not shown).

Harms

No participants were injured as a result of waterslide riding.

Discussion

We investigated whether blondes have more fun, as proposed by Sir Roderick David Stewart in 1978 and earlier hypothesised by Charles Darwin. Our findings show that blondes do not have more fun than non‐blondes. Further, we found that lying down while riding a waterslide was faster and more fun than sitting upright. Blondes do not have significantly more fun than non‐blondes: we found no difference in mood changes between blondes and non‐blondes in either ride position.

This is the first study to scientifically investigate the well known hypothesis published four decades ago.1 A possible reason for our divergent results is that Stewart requested blondes of a particular height: “Gimme a blonde that's six feet two”.1 None of the blonde participants in our study fulfilled the criterion of being 6'2” (188 cm), our tallest blonde participant being 6'1” (185 cm). Additionally, the method with which Stewart obtained his findings was poorly described, so we cannot be sure whether it was only blondes at least 188 cm high who had more fun. Even if it was only blondes of this stature, it is questionable whether Stewart's findings can be generalised to a broader population of blondes. Further, and perhaps most importantly, we do not know whether Stewart investigated blondes in an upright position or when they were lying down.

We found that it was both significantly more fun and significantly faster to ride a waterslide lying down than sitting in an upright position. Several studies have described waterslide‐related injuries,3,8,9 and one specifically recommended sitting upright.3 However, these studies did not investigate how much fun the participants had. Our findings suggest that persons riding waterslides for recreational purposes should lie down to have the most fun possible. Not a single person was harmed in our study, but we believe that the risk of injury varies greatly from slide to slide. All rides in our study were monitored by a lifeguard. Consequently, we recommend lying down to maximise fun if the waterslide appears safe, if local regulations do not demand otherwise, and if approved by a lifeguard.

We also found that a waterslide ride significantly reduced fatigue (whether sitting upright or lying down) and confusion (sitting upright), and increased vigour (lying down). These findings suggest that waterslides might be used therapeutically in people with a variety of medical conditions that induce fatigue and confusion and reduce vigour. It has previously been established that rollercoaster rides can help people pass renal calculi.10 Waterslides and rollercoasters are both purely recreational activities that allow participants to ride at high speeds. Our study was performed in a healthy population, but waterslide riding may be associated with health benefits that merit investigation in other populations.

Strengths and limitations

One strength of our study was that we evaluated hair colour visually rather than digitally, as digital image analysis with reflective spectrophotometry of hair colour has been found to be inferior to visual assessment.11 A further strength was minimising recall bias by having participants complete the POMS‐A and VAS immediately after leaving the splash pool. Further, validated questionnaires were administered, and duration of descent was based on high quality digital video recordings. However, investigators did not investigate whether participants’ hair colour was natural or dyed. We are thus unable to conclude whether natural blondes have more fun than dyed blondes. Another limitation was that we did not randomise the order in which participants rode the waterslide sitting upright and lying down. Randomisation would have reduced the risk of an increased anticipated fun effect for the second (lying down) ride. There was a risk of a spill‐over effect from the first to the second ride, which could have been analysed in a randomised study. To at least partially overcome this confounder, all participants were exposed to a wash‐out period between rides.

What different people define as fun may vary considerably. For example, some researchers attending the writing course preferred sightseeing or networking in the hotel bar to participating in our study by the pool. A limitation on the external validity of our study is that all participants were Danish, and all were researchers. Denmark has been ranked in the top three of the world's happiest countries over the past 4 years.12 It is thus possible that we were unable to find a difference between blondes and non‐blondes simply because Danes are very happy in general. Finally, researchers may have a different sense of fun than the general population, which may further limit the generalisability of our findings.

Conclusion

We found no associations between hair colour and fun or any other changes in mood that resulted from waterslide riding. That is: blondes do not have more fun. However, we did find that riding a waterslide lying down was significantly more fun than sitting upright.

Box 1 – The waterslide (yellow and blue) used for all measurements in the study

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Source: Photograph taken by Dennis Zetner, edited by Anders Schack.

Box 2 – Local pool rules, including some of the study exclusion criteria

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Source: Photograph taken by Dennis Zetner, edited by Anders Schack.

Box 3 – Waterslide positions: A. Sitting in upright position with arms crossed over the chest. B. Lying flat on the back with arms crossed over the chest

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Box 6 – Relationship between duration of descent on waterslide and fun

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