The response on the latest Beauty Brains Beauty Science or BS poll has been great. Unfortunately, most of you got the answer wrong. Here is the science behind the stories.

Looking at pictures of blond women can make you less smart - TRUE

An overwhelming majority of you thought this was the fake beauty science but in fact, it is real. According to this study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, test subjects scored worse on Trivial-pursuit type questions when they first looked at photos of blond women. Interestingly, the effect was the same on both men and women. Looking at photos of other hair-colored women didn’t have the same negative effect.

Your hair can be used to predict exactly what city you live in - FAKE

Only 14% of you correctly figured out that this one was a little too good to be true. It was actually based on a recent story that said you can identify where a person has been based on the isotopes of water found in their hair. It’s fake because while you can identify where a person was it is not so accurate that you can tell what city they’ve been in. As one researcher said, “You can tell the difference between Utah and Texas, but you may not be able to distinguish between Chicago and Kansas City.”

Thieves steal hair to sell on the black market - TRUE

This story was only chosen by 16% of you but it is true. Unfortunately, a couple of thieves in Brazil recently attacked a woman and cut off her waist length hair with a machete. When sold, this hair could fetch as much as $500. Apparently, this happens every so often in Brazil. So, if you’re traveling there make sure you hide your long hair.

Thanks to everyone who voted. If you didn’t get it this time, don’t fret. We’ll have another quiz coming soon.

Did you know that the new Beauty Brains Book has a whole section devoted to the Beauty Science or BS quiz? Click here to learn more about the Beauty Brains Book.

Watching comedy films increases blood flow to the heart - TRUE

This one was published in the journal Heart. Researchers found that people who watched comedies had increased blood flow. When they watched sad films blood flow actually decreased. Only 9% of you thought this was the fake.

Online daters lie more often about their weight than their age. - TRUE

This one fooled a few of you. 25% of the Beauty Brains community couldn’t believe this online beauty science headline but it is true. A study out of Cornell University found that 64% of women lied about their weight versus only 13% of those who lied about their age. I guess we’d rather be skinny than young.

People are pre-programmed to love chocolate - TRUE

32% of you found this to be unbelievable but at least one study shows that it’s science. Scientists looked at the blood of professed chocolate lovers and compared it to chocolate indifferent panelists. The chocolate lovers showed a distinct chemical difference from the indifferent group. Of course, there were only 22 people in the study and it was sponsored by Nestle so I’d like to see a little more follow up research before buying this one.

Blue roses created by using conventional hybridization techniques - FAKE

They weren’t out this year but next year you will be able to get a blue rose. However, this story is fake because scientists weren’t able to create them using conventional hybridization techniques. No, this genetic juggling required advanced genetic engineering to make it happen. Hybridization was only able to make purple roses. It was tricky but 34% of you figured out that this blue rose was the red herring. Congratulations!

Did you get the answer right? Leave a comment and let everyone know why you chose the one you did.

It’s that time of the week again…the Beauty Brains beauty science or BS poll. In honor of Valentine’s Day we’ve picked science stories that reflect the holiday. Can you figure out which of these is the fake story?

• Watching comedy films increases blood flow to the heart
• Online daters lie more often about their weight than their age
• Some people are genetically pre-programmed to love chocolate
• Blue roses were created by scientists using conventional hybridization techniques

If you can spot the fake, go to the right column of the Beauty Brains and enter your vote right now. We’ll give the answers next week

It’s time to put your beauty thinking cap on again with another Beauty Brains beauty science or BS poll. Can you figure out which of the beauty science headlines is the FAKE? Just check out the poll on the right side of the blog and put your vote in now.

If you are using Internet Explorer, you may have to scroll down pretty far to see the poll. (We’re working on fixing that bug).

Good luck

We didn’t seem to fool too many of you this time. Of the 260+ people that responded to the poll, a whopping 58% figured out that the $70,000 nail polish was made up. You really know your expensive cosmetics. For the hundred or so who missed, here are the real beauty science stories.

$60,000 lipstick

TRUE. Guerlain launched the KissKiss Gold and Diamonds lipstick for last year’s holiday season. It featured a package that had 110g of 18-carat gold and 199 diamonds. On the plus side, the container is re-fillable so you are actually encourage to recycle this lipstick. 27% of you thought this was fake but you might have been tripped up by the fact that it was really a $62,000 lipstick and not $60,000. Sorry.

$70,000 nail polish

FAKE. 58% figured out this was a figment of the Left Brain’s imagination. The real story is a sheer nail polish with platinum dust in it that goes for $250 per bottle. Actually, the first of these bottles produced by Essie Cosmetics had a bottle that was valued at $55,000. Still way short of the fictitious yarn spun by LB.

$215,000 perfume

TRUE. According to Forbes magazine, Imperial Majesty sells perfume for this crazy price. What makes it uber expensive is the bottle made of Baccarat crystal with a 5 carat diamond on its 18-carat gold collar. Amazingly, 3 of the original 5 bottles were actually sold. Some people just have too much money.

$2000 moisturizer

TRUE. Only 8% of you missed this one. That’s probably because you saw this Jeweled Skin Caviar Luxe Cream at Neiman Marcus too. Yes, for a mere $2000 you can get a skin moisturizer that works no better than the Olay you can buy at Target. Of course, the sparkling bottle is super cute.

So, how did you do? Did you get it right or were you fooled? Leave a comment and let everyone know why you picked the one you picked!

After a short hiatus, the popular Beauty Brains Beauty Science quiz is back. How much do you know about expensive cosmetics? Well, click on over to the Beauty Brains and give your answer to the quiz. The poll is located on the right column so scroll down and enter your vote.

The real answer will be posted February 4, 2008 so don’t delay. Left Brain thinks that this one will stump even the brightest beauty brainiacs.

At long last, the answer to the latest Beauty Brains poll.

We said that recent research suggests that most college students want to be thinner. Then we asked, which of the following statements are NOT REAL findings of the study? Over 300 people responded and here were the results. Were you one of the people who figured out the BS headline?

1. Women are more dissatisfied with their weight than men.

FALSE.  18% of you thought this was the fake headline, and you are correct! In the study about college students and their thoughts about their weight, men and women were similarly dissatisfied with their weight. However, women were much more dissatisfied with their bodies. Men wanted to either gain or lose weight.

2. 50% of underweight women want to maintain or lose weight

TRUE.  20% of you thought this was the fake story but it’s true. Half of women who are deemed underweight by doctors want to maintain or even lose weight. And as we see from this study about the mortality of people in the US, being underweight is not the healthiest way to be.

3. 10% of normal weight women want to lose enough weight to make them underweight

TRUE.  28% of you thought this one was fake but it wasn’t. It’s true that 10% of normal weight women want to lose so much weight that they would be considered underweight.

4. Underweight people have higher mortality rates than overweight (but not obese) people

TRUE.  This one fooled more voters than all the rest. 34% of you thought being underweight was not worse than being overweight. But the truth is, according to this study by the CDC, underweight people have a higher mortality rate than overweight people. In fact, being slightly overweight actually decreased your chances of dying from non-cancer, non-Cardio Vascular Disease causes of death. But don’t go filling up on donuts just yet. People who are overweight had a higher chance of dying from diabetes or kidney disease. Your best bet is to have a BMI in the normal range. Curious about your own BMI? Check it with this BMI calculator.

So, did you get this one right?  Why did you answer the way you did?  Leave a comment and let the rest of the Beauty Brain community know.

Here’s an interesting cosmetic quiz put together by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It has 6 questions and regular readers of the Beauty Brains should be able to get all of them right.

Take the quiz and post your score in the comments below.

And after you’ve taken the quiz, be sure to see the FDA’s collection of cosmetic information. Left Brain tells me it’s a much more “scientific” and less biased source of information than something like the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database.

Hello budding Beauty Brains, it appears this beauty science week’s poll was a bit tougher than last week’s. Only 31% of you correctly revealed that the story about blemishes on your back was bogus. The more common answer chosen by 32% of you was the real story about strippers on birth control earning less money. Read on to see the complete explanations. And come back on Monday for an all-new Beauty Science or BS challenge.

1. PETA kills thousands of animals each year - TRUE. 22% couldn’t believe this is true but it is. They believe that it is more humane and economical to euthanize unwanted animals than try to house and support them until their natural deaths. While it’s a practical solution, it seems a bit discordant with their philosophy of treating animals humanely.

2. People with facial acne are more likely to get back acne - FALSE. 31% of you picked this scab and you were right. Backne is indiscriminate and will affect people whether they have facial acne or not.

3. Strippers taking birth control pills earn less money - TRUE. 32% of you thought this as fake as a silicone enhance bust line but you were mistaken. The research, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, endeavored to determine whether women earn more money during their fertile phase. They studied 18 lap dancers in strip clubs and found that they actually did make more money when they were more fertile. They also found that women taking birth control made less money than those who weren’t. Researchers speculate women behave in subtly different ways that men can unconsciously pick up on. Why this causes them to part with more money is unknown.

4. Temporary black henna dyes can cause permanent scarring - TRUE. Only 15% of you thought this was fake but it’s real. Black henna contains a compound called Para-phenylenediamine (PPD) to which some are allergic. When exposed, their skin will start blistering which can lead to scarring. The FDA does not allow black henna to be used as a skin colorant because of this problem. Note black henna is not the same as natural henna which is typically brown or reddish brown.

So, did you get it right? Leave a comment below and let everyone know. And be sure to come back on Monday for another Beauty Science or BS.

While many of the brightest Beauty Brains out there figured out last week’s Beauty Science or BS challenge, I’m betting this week’s won’t be as easy.

We’ve posted 4 beauty science headlines but only 3 of them are actually science.  One is a complete fabrication generated deep within the Left Brain’s cerebrum.  Can you figure out which one’s fake?  Just look in the right column, scroll down, and put your guess.

The answer will be posted Friday, October 19.  Good luck!