Part 1: The colour redMost of the time you’d think that you bought that bottle of water because you were thirsty and chose that piece of artwork for your unfurnished living room because it is both stylish and a bargain. Sense tells us that we should have a fairly good idea of what is influencing our thoughts and feelings towards something or someone. For example, a previous acquaintance of mine only ever talked about himself, paid no attention to what I had to say and spent much of his time enjoying his own reflection. Thus, I thought that I didn’t particularly like him because of these reasons. However, things aren’t always so obvious. When your eyes catch another’s across a crowded (annoyingly crowded with boys normally), drunken and loud dance floor you can become instantly attracted. It’s a nice feeling, but why am I attracted to Mariya? The dimensions of her face and body? Almost definitely. What about the colour of the scarf she is wearing? Surely not!
A wealth of research suggests that we can often be somewhat ignorant towards what is causing us to the feel the way we do. And it turns out that the colour of Mariya’s scarf (she was wearing a scarf in a club because it was cold if you were wondering) could be quiet important. It could play a much more significant role than you think in influencing whether I do fall head over heels or instead head to the bar for another drink. This two part blog discusses how we can really never be 100% sure as to why we feel the way we do.
If you are both a heterosexual female and in the dating game then my only advice to you is to start wearing the colour red more. The colour red may have particular evolutionary significance when it comes to attraction. Zoologists think that female chimps display heightened redness on their face and genitals in attempt to attract mates during or close to their ovulation period. But what about the colour red in humans? Valentines day is extremely red and women (and men) sometimes like to wear red lipstick. But then again there are many red things that aren’t at all related to attraction: tomatoes and telephone boxes.
A set of experiments by Elliot & Niesta (2008) suggests that red really does matter when it comes to attraction. For example, in one study the researchers showed participants a photo of a fairly attractive girl. This photo remained constant for all participants, apart from the colour of her top; either being red or another colour matched for things like contrast and brightness. Male participants then rated how attractive they found the girl. The results showed that wearing the colour red strongly influenced attraction. Bizarre! Furthermore the influence of this mysterious red effect didn’t just result in a small increase. Wearing the colour red resulted in males reporting that they would be much more likely to ask her on a date and possess a stronger sexual desire towards the lady in red.
An interesting study and introduction to the idea that subtle influences can go a long way, but the length to which small subtle influences can go is far more impressive than just attraction. Why did you end up in the career you find yourself? and with the man you love? Is it because you like them for what and who they are? Or is it because of something much more sinister….. Check for part 2 of this blog for some answers.
Applications so far –
If you are trying to attract a guy don your best red scarf.
If you are trying to attract a girl keep a look out for one dressed in red from head to toe. But no promises, it could mean –
a) she is unconsciously conveying a message of sexual need
b) she has a terrible dress sense
Avoid wearing red when in the company of chimps.
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