Monday, September 13, 2010

Women Attracted to Men in Red, Research Shows

AUTHOR: Science Daily/University of Rochester

PUBLICATION NAME: Science Daily

DATE OF PUBLICATION: August 3, 2010

SUMMARY: According to studies done at the University of Rochester and other institutions, women are more attracted to men that wear red, and are also unaware of this fact.

As said by Andrew Elliot, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester, women view red as “higher in status.” Men that wear red also make it seem like they have power and a large income, which attracts women.

The color red is seen as high rank all over the globe. Examples include ancient China, Rome, Japan, and sub-Saharan Africa, who all use red to portray wealth and status.

Other than culture, biology also plays a role in this study. Red represents male supremacy in non-human primates, which in return causes females to mate with the males in these species, because of the resources they can offer.

Several experiments have been done in which participants were given photographs of numerous men wearing red and other different colors. The participants were to rate the men’s traits, such as attractiveness and likeability. It turns out that although males wearing red seemed more sexually attractive, that did not make them more kind or likeable.

And although most women found men in red more attractive, males participating in the study claimed that color made no difference in rating someone’s attractiveness.

The results found in these experiments are significant because it shows that a simple element, such as color, can play a huge factor when it comes to people being drawn towards each other. In addition, the results affect the field of Psychology and other research, because it is shown that seeing red in competitive situations (i.e. sport matches), leads to poor performance.

LINKS TO STUDY: None


SUBMITTED BY: Kristin Elizarde


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