I Like the Gentleman in Red

3:30 AM |

Red is the color of love. This holds true not only for the popular media, but also for scientific researchers (e.g. Aslam, 2006; Neto, 2002 as cited Eliot, et. al., 2010) across cultures that link the color red to love and passion. And in this season of love, what can be more “in” than red roses, red balloons, red candles and a girl’s ultimate weapon, a red dress. Yup, a red dress is a weapon for girls because a study has shown that it enhances men’s attraction toward women (Eliot and Nesta, 2008 as cited in Eliot, et. al., 2010). So, if a girl would go out on a date with the guy that she likes, wearing red clothes is the best choice. But, did you know that it can have the same enhancing effect on the attraction of females towards males?

A study done by Eliot and his colleagues in 2010 investigated whether the color red affects women’s perception of attractiveness in men. Seven experiments were done to support the hypothesis that viewing red guides women to perceive men as more attractive and more sexually desirable. Furthermore, this effect may be because this color implies high status, a characteristic that women look for in men. The relationship between this color and high status is present across cultures, time and even among other animals such as primates which shows both its social and biological roots.

In each experiment, the participants viewed a picture of a moderately attractive man, based on a pilot test with an independent sample of women, for 5 seconds. Then, they were asked to answer some questions such as rating the man’s attractiveness as well as what they think is the real purpose of the experiment since they were told that the experiment focused on first impression of others.

All experiments supported the red effect, wherein red enhances women’s perception of a man’s attractiveness and sexual desirability. It was observed in both Western and Eastern countries, thus, it is not specific to a particular culture. The red effect was also evident in background color and shirt color presentations where it was said that the latter is more likely to be experienced in real life. Additionally, it was present in different contrast colors including the achromatic colors white and gray, as well as the chromatic colors green and blue. Finally, it was shown that perception status is one mechanism behind this.

However, the red effect was not significant among other positively-valenced traits such as the male’s likeability, extraversion, and agreeableness. Nor it was true in males’ perception of other males. These findings just show that the red effect is a sexual signal and is different from general psychological processes present in both men and women.

Oftentimes, we associate the color red with women. The lady in red gives us an image of an attractive woman who has a perfect S-shaped figure and a beautiful face. But this article shows us that it can also be applied to males. So guys, do you have your red shirts already?

Lastly, this research makes us realize that color not only has aesthetic properties that allow us to appreciate the world around us, but it also has the ability to communicate information about people, even in animals that will guide our thoughts and actions towards others. And usually, we have no conscious awareness that it happens.

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Eliot, A. J., Kayser, D. N., Greitemeyer, T., Lichtenfeld, S., Gramzow, R. H., Maier, M. A., & Liu, H. (2010). Red, rank, and romance in women viewing men. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 139, 3, 399-417. As Retrieved from EBSCOhost.