Psych Central News published Red Turns Men On, Boosts Sexual Attraction a recent study reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D.
If you’ve ever felt more attracted to a pretty girl because she’s wearing red, there’s now a scientific study that shows this isn’t just your imagination or something influenced by cultural preferences.
Dr. Andrew Elliot, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester, and Daniela Niesta have demonstrated that red has a measurable effect on men in what is claimed to be the “only work to scientifically document the effects of color on behavior in the context of relationships.”
“…
red can unconsciously make us guys feel more attracted towards a woman wearing it …”
Their findings over the course of five psychological experiments indicated that the color red can unconsciously make us guys feel more attracted towards a woman wearing it.
To test that red’s apparent aphrodisiac effect is not merely due to cultural preferences (Valentine’s Day springs to mind here, as do red-light districts, lipstick, and of course the movie The Woman in Red), they examined male responses to photographs of women under a variety of color presentations.
For one experiment, a woman’s photo was framed by a red or white border while viewers were asked: “How pretty do you think this person is?” with similar tests contrasting red with gray, green, and blue.
And in the last of the five studies…
…the shirt of the woman in the photograph, instead of the background, was digitally colored red or blue. In this experiment, men were queried not only about their attraction to the woman, but their intentions regarding dating. One question asked: “Imagine that you are going on a date with this person and have $100 in your wallet. How much money would you be willing to spend on your date?”
In all cases, women framed by or wearing red were rated significantly more attractive and sexually desirable by men than the exact same women shown with other colors. The male subjects even wanted to spend more of their hypothetical money on the “red” women!
This was a consistent finding. So…
Why do we like women wearing red?
There’s a biological source, just as with most all of our subconscious desires (yeah, we really are animals at heart!):
Other research has shown that nonhuman male primates are particularly attracted to females displaying red. Female baboons and chimpanzees, for example, redden conspicuously when nearing ovulation, sending a clear sexual signal designed to attract males.
So there you go. We’re suckers for red because it’s a primal trigger for the female sexual cycle. That would explain why red has little effect on women, which was the other part of the study.
Women rating other women did not increase their “attractiveness ratings” if those women were wearing red. It affects us males only.
So that leads to some very intriguing interpretations of why women wear red when they go out.
While red could in fact be worn by women for other reasons, the fact that it’s an attractiveness booster for men only would strongly suggest that she’s more likely to be looking to attract male attention than another woman who’s not wearing red.
“…
she’s certainly not wearing it to impress other women as it has no effect on them …”
She’s certainly not wearing it to impress other women as it has no effect on them.
So just like a red flag waved before a bull, a woman wearing red is likely to be looking to attract more than average male attention.
That’s something to keep in mind when you’re evaluating the women around you — are they more likely to be receptive? Or not?
Of course there’s a lot more to it than dress (or lipstick) color, but if you ever find yourself studying a girl wearing red more intently than her competition elsewhere in the room … now you know the reason.
Until next time,
-Nick Thomas
