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 women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5), Summary by: Tiffany Harrison and Amanda Lernor For Dr. Mills’ Psyc310, Fall 2008

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

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

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

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

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

Experiment 1 Participants  Sample: 27 male undergraduates  Mean age: 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. Elliot, A., & Niesta, D. (2008 November). Romantic red: Red enhances men's attraction to women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5),

Experiment 2 Participants  Sample: 63 (31 males, 32 females) undergraduates  Mean age: years (SD=1.79)  Majority of participants were Caucasian 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. Elliot, A., & Niesta, D. (2008 November). Romantic red: Red enhances men's attraction to women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5),

Experiment 3 Participants  Sample: 37 male undergraduates  Mean age: years (SD=1.70)  Majority of participants were Caucasian 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. Elliot, A., & Niesta, D. (2008 November). Romantic red: Red enhances men's attraction to women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5),

Experiment 4 Participants  Sample: 31 male undergraduates  Mean age: years (SD=1.22)  Majority of participants were Caucasian 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. Elliot, A., & Niesta, D. (2008 November). Romantic red: Red enhances men's attraction to women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5),

Experiment 5 Participants  Sample: 23 male undergraduates  Mean age: years (SD=1.34)  Majority of participants were Caucasian 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. Elliot, A., & Niesta, D. (2008 November). Romantic red: Red enhances men's attraction to women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5),

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

Test Questions 1.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. Less B. More C. Not at all 5. How much time did men spend looking at each photo in Exp. 1-5? A. 5 sec B. 5 min C. 2 min 6. A felt desire to become romantically involved with a target is… A. Physical attractiveness B. Sexual attractiveness C. Overall likeability D. None of the above Elliot, A., & Niesta, D. (2008 November). Romantic red: Red enhances men's attraction to women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5),