Women Wear Red for Romance

Color Makes Men More Amourous and in Mood for Love

Jan 24, 2009 Christine Nyholm

Women who wear red have the advantage in dating and romance, as the color has been shown to have an aphrodisiac effect upon men, who are attracted to the hue.

Women who are in the mood for love should consider wearing red, according to a study psychological study that looked at how men react to color. Red appears to have an aphrodisiac effect upon the male of the species. Red is the color of Valentine's Day and romance.

Red Makes Men Amourous

The color red makes men feel amorous according to five psychological experiments by Andrew Elliot, professor of psychology, and Daniela Niesta, post-doctoral researcher. The five experiments demonstrate that the color red makes men feel more amorous toward women. Red can make men feel amorous, but they are unaware of the role the color plays in their attraction.

Andrew Elliot said in a press release, "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. It is fascinating to find that something as ubiquitous as color can be having an effect on our behavior without our awareness."

The study authors note that the aphrodisiac effect of the color red could be due to social conditioning, but it is more likely to be a response that men have related to deeper biological roots.

In the primate world, the male reacts to the color red because it sends a clear sexual signal that is designed to attract males. While men might like to think they relate to women in a thoughtful, sophisticated manner, but it appears that there is a degree of primitive sexual reaction in play.

Study on Color

The study measured men’s responses to photographs of women in pictures framed by borders of different colors . Men answered questions about how pretty they thought the woman in the picture was. The colors in the experiment were red, white, gray, green and blue.

In another study the shirt of the woman in the picture was digitally colored red or blue. Men were asked about their attraction to the woman and how much money they would spend on the date with her.

Women framed by, or wearing, red were rated as much more attractive and sexually desirable by men in all experiment. The women wearing red were most likely to be invited to prom and to be treated to the most expensive date.

The red effect extends only to males and only to perceptions of attractiveness. Red did not increase attractiveness ratings for females rating other females, and red did not change how men rated the women in the photographs in terms of likability, intelligence or kindness.

Although red enhances positive feelings in this study, earlier research suggests the meaning of a color depends on its context. For example, Elliot and others have shown that seeing red in competitive situations, such as written examinations or sporting events, leads to worse performance.

The findings of this experiment clearly indicate that women who are looking for romance would do well to add red to their wardrobe. Information in this study has clear implications for the dating game, woman’s fashion, product design and marketing.

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