Study says the woman in red drives the men crazy

[dsanchez]

:roll:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If a woman wants to drive the men wild, she might want to dress in red.

Men rated a woman shown in photographs as more sexually attractive if she was wearing red clothing or if she was shown in an image framed by a red border rather than some other colour, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.


The study led by psychology professor Andrew Elliot of the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, seemed to confirm red as the colour of romance -- as so many Valentine's Day card makers and lipstick sellers have believed for years.

Although this "red alert" may be a product of human society associating red with love for eons, it also may arise from more primitive biological roots, Elliot said.

Noting the genetic similarity of humans to higher primates, he said scientists have shown that certain male primates are especially attracted to females of their species displaying red. For example, female baboons and chimpanzees show red colouring when nearing ovulation, sending a sexual signal that the males apparently find irresistible.

"It could be this very deep, biologically based automatic tendency to respond to red as an attraction cue given our evolutionary heritage," Elliot, whose findings appear in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, said in a telephone interview.

The study involved more than 100 men, mostly college undergraduates, who were shown pictures of women and asked to rate how pretty they were, how much the men would like to kiss them and how much the men would like to have sex with them.

Men were shown a woman, with some of the pictures bordered in red and some bordered in white, grey or green. Even though it was the same picture of the same woman, when she was framed in red the men rated her as more attractive than when she was bordered by another colour.

Men were then shown photographs of a woman that were identical except that the researchers digitally made her shirt red in some versions or blue in others. And once again, the men strongly favoured the woman in red.

The men also were asked, "Imagine that you are going on a date with this person and have $100 (64 pounds) in your wallet. How much money would you be willing to spend on your date?" When she was clad in red, the men said they would spend more money on her.

The researchers noted that the colour red did not alter how men rated the women in the photographs in terms of likeability, intelligence or kindness -- only attractiveness.

The researchers then had a group of young women rate whether the pictured woman was pretty. Red had no impact on whether women rated other women as pretty, they found.

Gay men and colour blind men were excluded from the study.

(Editing by Maggie Fox)

[japanesebaby]

it's quite interesting because it proves that men just love red, whatever it is. just as long as it's red-something and they're on it.
whether or not it's worn by a woman is irrelevant.

(so they could have left the woman factor (=the women wearing that red for them) out of the test material. besides, then they could have included gay men too, by the way.
but too bad for the color blind though.)

[dsanchez]

it's quite interesting because it proves that men just love red, whatever it is. just as long as it's red-something and they're on it.
whether or not it's worn by a woman is irrelevant.

I dont think so. For instance, I personally would love to use blue or black pullovers, mostly blue or black things. But I agree about this study, I probably would also choose the girl dressed in red from the options.

[japanesebaby]

it's quite interesting because it proves that men just love red, whatever it is. just as long as it's red-something and they're on it.
whether or not it's worn by a woman is irrelevant.

I dont think so. For instance, I personally would love to use blue or black pullovers, mostly blue or black things.

ok i can see i was being too obscure, let me correct what i meant:
i didn't mean just "men love red" but men are "(sexually) attracted to anything red". therefore the woman factor in the equation is quite irrelevant, it could have been worn by a lamp post or something instead of a woman and it probably would have served the same purpose/caused the same study result: red lamp posts would have been more attractive than for instance blue ones.

[dsanchez]

men are "(sexually) attracted to anything red"

that's correct

[japanesebaby]

men are "(sexually) attracted to anything red"

that's correct

so, since it had nothing to do with being attracted to women then why did they exclude gay men from the study? 

[Lady]

Very interesting...I'm thinking about "Gilda" or Jessica Rabbit and yeah, this result seems real!!!
"Miss Italia 2008" is a red-hair girl, so this confirms the result, too!


Anyway I've always thought men was attracted by sexy women...doesn't matter what they dress!!!

[crowbi_wan]

Anyway I've always thought men was attracted by sexy women...doesn't matter what they dress!!!

I'd have to agree with you here. 

To me, just because a woman is dressed in red doesn't make her more attractive.  Some women don't like good in "hot" colors and much more suited for earth tones.  Let's use that famous green dress J-Lo wore some years back.  It was eye catching because of how low cut it was.  I can't imagine her wearing that same dress in red.  Yikes, that just wouldn't look good!     

[dsanchez]

Anyway I've always thought men was attracted by sexy women...doesn't matter what they dress!!!

of-course 8)

but in this case they dressed the same sexy women in different colours, in the picture in red was the one choosed by the men.

[japanesebaby]

so, since it had nothing to do with being attracted to women then why did they exclude gay men from the study? 

not idea, maybe Caley or Crowbi can tell you more about

david i bet they wouldn't agree with you...

Anyway I've always thought men was attracted by sexy women...doesn't matter what they dress!!!

of-course 8)

but in this case they dressed the same sexy women in different colours, in the picture in red was the one choosed by the men.

naaah, don't try to change your mind david, it's too late!: you already basically admitted that anything red is hot and sexy... 
i think i was right.  8)

[Lady]

naaah, don't try to change your mind david, it's too late!: you already basically admitted that anything red is hot and sexy... 
i think i was right.  8)

I agree jb!!
David we've already understood you like the women in red!!!!

[terry]

i can confirm...maen likes more woman...naked...pretty or ugly...if they find one in their bed waiting them...no man say "hey what are doing in my bed?..go home"...after 10 seconds: "wait, i can shot you the same"

[dsanchez]

maybe because of this?

[crowbi_wan]

maybe because of this?

Yeah, that's about right.   

I'd alter it slightly though by splitting the TV Remote portion into two, making one half music.  Or, simply calling the whole thing "Entertainment Control Center".   

[japanesebaby]

and as always, "funnily" you guys make it sound like as if you were proud of your "condition"...

and this "i'd have sex with any woman who just happened to be in my bed" - seriously, what's there to boast about?
i know you think it makes you sound like some 'uber-alpha-male but in fact it only sounds tragic and pathetic. and silly. 
i really can't but