Romantic Red: Red Enhances Men’s Attraction to Women Andrew J. Elliot and Daniela Niesta University of Rochester Elliot, A., & Niesta, D. (2008 November)

Romantic Red: Red Enhances Men’s Attraction to WomenAndrew J. Elliot and Daniela NiestaUniversity of Rochester

Elliot, A., & Niesta, D. (2008 November). Romantic red: Red enhances men's attraction to women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5), 1150-1164.

Summary by: Tiffany Harrison and Amanda LernorFor Dr. Mills’ Psyc310, Fall 2008

IntroductionResearchers hypothesize that the color red will

lead men to perceive woman as being more physically attractive and more sexually desirable.

The color red serves as an aphrodisiac for men. Carries meaning of sex and romance


Red-Sex Link

Society Symbolizes fertility

In literature, it is associated with sexuality (e.g. The Scarlet Letter)

Women wear red clothing and make up to represent passion and sexuality

Red is the popular color of choice for Valentine’s Day

Biology Some female primate

species display a reddening of the genitals when nearing ovulation

Increased estrogen levels enhances vascular blood flow

Male primates are attracted to the red color that females exhibit


Red-Sex Link cont.

Women nearing ovulation tend to wear less clothing, leaving more skin visible

Women in the middle of their ovulation cycle are more sexually interested as well as sexually aroused

In addition, women tend to blush more when they are sexually aroused, resulting in the reddening of the skin

Red carries a sexual meaning whether it is naturally or artificially displayed on a woman’s body


Appetitive Evaluation

Perceived physical attractiveness: Refers to a positive judgment regarding the

target’s physical appearance

Sexual attraction: Refers to a felt desire to become romantically

involved with the target

These two aspects were used to examine the influence of the color red in each experiment.


Overview of ExperimentsExperiment 1:

Males were presented with a black and white photo of an averagely attractive woman on either a white or red background

Experiment 2: Same as Exp. 1 with women included

Experiments 3-5: Influence of red was compared to a variety of

other colors using same method as Exp. 1

In all experiments, men were assessed to determine whether they were aware of the influence of red on their perceptions.


Experiment 1Participants

Sample: 27 male undergraduates

Mean age: 20.52 years (SD=1.83)

Majority of participants were Caucasian

Procedure

Men had 5s to look at the picture followed by a questionnaire which consisted of questions that assessed how attractive the participants found the woman to be.

Results

There was a main effect for color such that men in the red condition perceived woman to be more attractive than did men in the white condition.




Sample: 63 (31 males, 32 females) undergraduates



Procedure

Same as Exp. 1 except participants were informed that the experiment was looking at how people form impressions of others

Results

Men perceived the target women to be more attractive when associated with red relative to white; this effect was not present for women.







Procedure

Same as Exp. 1, except a gray background was substituted for the white background and perceived likeability was measured in addition to perceived attractiveness and sexual attraction

Results

Men in the red condition found the woman to be more attractive and sexually desirable but it did not effect overall likeability.







Procedure

Same as Exp. 1, except a green background was substituted for the white background and perceived kindness and intelligence was measured in addition to perceived attractiveness and sexual attraction

Results

Men in the red condition found the woman to be more attractive and sexually desirable but it did not effect perceived kindness and intelligence.







Procedure

Color presentation was transferred to the target woman’s shirt using the color red compared to the color blue

Willingness to date and spend money on a date with the target was measured in addition to perceived attractiveness and sexual attraction

Results

Men who viewed a woman in a red shirt perceived her to be more attractive, were more sexually attracted to her, and indicated a greater likelihood of asking her on a date and spending money on a date with her.



Critical ReviewInteresting Facts:

Women tend to wear less clothing when they are near ovulation.

Men would spend more money on a woman just because she is wearing a red item of clothing.

Given that color is part of everyday stimuli, it is surprising how little research has been conducted on color in the psychological field.

Dislikes:

They only showed female photos even in Exp. 2, when women were included.

The study could have included a broader spectrum of ages among men.

One thing the researchers were unsure of would be if the red effect would have the same impact for highly attractive women, as a ceiling effect could exist, where nothing else would be needed to induce maximum male attraction.


Test Questions1. Increased estrogen levels decrease vascular blood flow. (T/F)

2. Men in the red condition found the woman to be more attractive and sexually desirable but it did not affect overall likeability. (T/F)

3. Men would not spend more money on a woman just because she is wearing a red item of clothing. (T/F)

4. Women in the middle of their ovulation cycle are _____ sexually interested.

A. LessB. MoreC. Not at all

5. How much time did men spend looking at each photo in Exp. 1-5?

A. 5 secB. 5 minC. 2 min

6. A felt desire to become romantically involved with a target is…A. Physical attractivenessB. Sexual attractivenessC. Overall likeabilityD. None of the above


Documents

Romantic Red: Red Enhances Men’s Attraction to Women Andrew J. Elliot and Daniela Niesta University of Rochester Elliot, A., & Niesta, D. (2008 November)