© University of Rochester 1996-2012
Browsing for a card festooned with bright red hearts or sending a dozen red roses this Valentine’s Day? Scientists wouldn’t be a bit surprised.
Two Rochester psychologists have demonstrated that the color red heightens men’s attraction toward women—and that men are unaware of the effect the color plays in their amorousness.
“It’s only recently that psychologists and researchers in other disciplines have been looking closely and systematically at the relationship between color and behavior. Much is known about color physics and color physiology, but very little about color psychology,” says Andrew Elliot, a professor of psychology who conducted the experiments with colleague Daniela Niesta, a postdoctoral researcher.
While red’s association with passion is longstanding, the five experiments carried out by Elliot and Niesta are the first to document scientifically the effects of color on behavior in the context of relationships.
“It’s fascinating to find that something as ubiquitous as color can be having an effect on our behavior without our awareness,” Elliot says.
To quantify the red effect, the study examined men’s responses to photographs of women under a variety of color presentations. In one experiment, test subjects saw a woman’s photo framed in either red or white and answered a series of questions assessing their sense of the subject’s attractiveness. Other experiments contrasted red with gray, green, or blue.
Under all conditions, the women shown framed by or wearing red were rated significantly more attractive and sexually desirable by men than were the same women when shown with other colors.
“I was really amazed by the results of our study,” says Niesta. “The color red is very appealing, but we were surprised to see such a robust effect across so many studies.”
The red effect extends only to males and only to perceptions of attractiveness. Red did not increase attractiveness ratings for females rating other females, nor did it change how men rated the photographed women for likeability, intelligence, or kindness.
Although the aphrodisiacal effect of red may be a product of social conditioning alone, Elliot and Niesta argue that men’s response to the color more likely has biological roots. 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.
“Our research demonstrates a parallel in the way that human and nonhuman male primates respond to red,” the researchers explain.
“As much as men might like to think that they respond to women in a thoughtful, sophisticated manner, it appears that at least to some degree, their preferences and predilections are, in a word, primitive.”
Susan Hagen writes about the social sciences for University Communications.
© University of Rochester 1996-2012