Red dress effect

The red dress effect is a phenomenon in which people wearing red clothing, such as a red dress, are perceived to be more sexually appealing than they are when wearing other colours. This effect is thought to act subconsciously, although its effect can be large.[1]

Hypothesis

Evolution

In the wild, when many species of non-human primate females become fertile, their estrogen level rises, which causes their blood vessels to open up, leading to redness on the skin, especially near the face, chest and genitalia.[2][3] This increase in redness has been shown to attract male counterparts, expressed by their increased activity in sex, self-stimulation, and attention towards the females. Therefore, there are reasons to believe of the existence of evolutionary instincts that associate red with fertility.

Red Dress Effect

Social conditioning

Folklore,[4] mythology and literature associate red with fertility, and women are thought to have worn the equivalent of a red lipstick as early as 10,000 B.C.[5] and so sexual receptiveness and red may be a result of social conditioning. However, this social conditioning may have originated for biological and evolutionary reasons, and is simply an extension of our primal instincts.

Evidence

In a study by Pazda[6] it was shown that females wearing red are rated more attractive by males. They explained this by referring to the biological aspect that sexually receptive women are more attractive because of them having a higher probability for engaging in sexual activity, as well as a higher probability for the males to successfully reproduce.

The same effect seems to work the other way round. In a disputed[7] study by Elliot[8] it was shown that males wearing red are rated more attractive by females.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Strain, Daniel. "The Red-Dress Effect".
  2. ↑ Wickings, J. M. (2004). "Sexual swelling in mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx): A test of the reliable indicator hypothesis". Behavioral Ecology. 15 (3): 438–445. doi:10.1093/beheco/arh027.
  3. ↑ Dixson, A.F. (1983). "Observations on the evolution and behavioral significance of "sexual skin" in female primates". Advances in the Study of Behavior. Advances in the Study of Behavior. 13: 63–106. doi:10.1016/s0065-3454(08)60286-7. ISBN 9780120045136.
  4. ↑ Hutchings, John (2004). "Color in folklore and tradition—The principles". Color Research and Application. 29: 57–66. doi:10.1002/col.10212.
  5. ↑ Low, B (1979). "Sexual selection and human ornamentation". In Chagnon, Napoleon A.; Irons, William. Evolutionary Biology and Human Social Behaviour: An Anthropological Perspective. Duxbury. pp. 462–487. ISBN 978-0-87872-193-1.
  6. ↑ Pazda, Adam D.; Elliot, Andrew J.; Greitemeyer, Tobias (2011). "Sexy red: Perceived sexual receptivity mediates the red-attraction relation in men viewing woman". Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 48 (3): 787. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2011.12.009.
  7. ↑ Francis, G (2013). "Publication bias in "Red, rank, and romance in women viewing men," by Elliot et al. (2010)". Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 142 (1): 292–6. doi:10.1037/a0027923. PMID 23398185.
  8. ↑ Elliot, Andrew J.; Niesta Kayser, Daniela; Greitemeyer, Tobias; Lichtenfeld, Stephanie; Gramzow, Richard H.; Maier, Markus A.; Liu, Huijun (2010). "Red, Rank, and Romance in Women Viewing Men". Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 139 (3): 399. doi:10.1037/a0019689.
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