For a First Date, Wear Red

A new study, summarized in the BPS Research Digest, finds that when it comes to the color red, humans aren’t that different from chimps: they both love red. In the first study of the effects of color on actual human sexual attraction (as opposed to reported attraction), Daniela Niesta Kayser, Andrew J. Elliot, and Roger Feltman found that “when a lady wears red it prompts men to ask her more intimate questions and to sit closer to her.” The researchers conclude: “It appears that women would do well to wear a red shirt or dress when preparing for a date with a desirable man, and women may be particularly successful in online dating when they post a picture of themselves in red apparel.” Women aren’t the only ones who could benefit from a little red: another Kayser study found that “men wearing red were rated as more attractive and high-status by women.” [%comments]