Lady in red

If you ask people what the colour red symbolises most  will give answers such as”love” or “passion”. So the following study from the European Journal of Social Psychology may not come as a surprise to you but it is extremely interesting nonetheless!

Scientists have known for a long time that in many nonhuman primates, the sight of red on a female alerts the male of the species, inspiring them to display arousal. Researchers say that they have for the first time identified similar but more subtle reactions to the colour red among men. OoOoH! 😉

The study

Men were shown a photograph (a bit like viewing a photograph on PlentyMoreFish really!) of a “moderately attractive young adult woman” whose shirt had been changed to appear either red or green. The men were told that this woman was in the next room and presented them with 24 questions that they might ask her and they could select five. When the woman in the photo was wearing red, the men were much more likely to ask forward questions; “Where do you normally hang out?” or “How could a guy get your attention at a bar?”. If she was wearing green, the questions tilted more towards; “Where are you from?”

In a related study, men were told that they were about to meet a woman and were directed to the chair where she would be sitting. If they were expecting a woman in a red shirt, they positioned themselves closer to the chair than if they were expecting someone in blue.

Wow! Interesting stuff eh? So take this information as you will but I am pretty sure I am about to see a dramatic increase of women wearing red in their profile pictures!!!

Happy Fishin’!

Note: This study was taken from the following; “Red and Romantic Behavior in Men Viewing Women,” Daniela Niesta Kayser, Andrew J. Elliot, Roger Feltman, European Journal of Social Psychology (October)