Is there a survival benefit for human to evolve blond hair?

Question

Blond hair may look better, but I think brown or black hair can insulate the head better against the cold because they're so much thicker.

Answer 1

Probably just a side effect of the change that led to lighter skin -- lighter skin is advantageous for synthesis of vitamin D in the northern parts of the world.

Answer 2

Probably not.  Most animals and plants have varieties of colors, sizes and other characteristics that do not seem to have a survival benefit but do not provoke premature death.  Such traits stay in the species until they do become harmful and are then eliminated.

A lot of superficial traits are mostly for sexual display, and if found desirable they become wide spread.  In some areas blond hair may qualify.

Answer 3

Yeah blondes are considered more attractive so they get laid more which leads to more babies lol

Fair hair and skin could have a number of evolutionary explanations:

Creating pigment costs energy, so in locations where pigments are not needed due to low amounts of sunlight, natural selection favors those that use their energy for something else.

Another related explanation is that fair skin/hair increases the amount of sunlight that reaches the skin, and thus the amount of vitamin D that is created in the skin. Vitamin D is especially important during pregnancy and infancy, so this rhymes with why children  typically have fairer sking/hair then they do as adults (especially those of northern european desent)

In addition to this there may actually be something to the "blonds are hot" argument.  It is a matter of personal preference but if a large number of males are even slightly more attracted to  blonde woman over an otherwise identical brunettes then they over time will be favoured for reproduction which would result in an increase in the frequency of the alleles in that population over time.

Lots of animals have very strange adaptions that dont help them to survive at all but increase their sexual selective success.

I think it is a combination of factors brought about by evolving in a northern climate.  Skin pigment definately provides a large survival bennifit depending on where you live.  I wouldn't be suprised if the same mechanism wasnt responsible for hair pigment as well

Answer 4

It has something to do with Vitamin D and Cancer. Scandanavians need lots of vitamin D, africans need protection from skin cancer.

   Hair color just seems to follow skin color.

Answer 5

I dont think blondes are more attractive! I prefer brunettes and redheads!

Answer 6

  how about harder to spot in the white landscape of snow and ice that cover so much of our planet. blond hair seemed to have arrived with man in the northern regions.