Red Speaks

I remind you of someone special when it is Valentine’s.

I tell you you’re wounded when you feel pain.

I flaunt your score when your test paper is returned.

I signal you to stop when you cross the street.

I utter prosperity as you welcome the new year.

I tell you what is not allowed in an area.

I make you feel warmth.

I increase your anxiety.

I am everywhere. And I speak in every way. About love. About lust. About pain. About fortune. About rage. About passion. About warnings. About persuasion.

And now, new studies prove, I boost even your attraction behaviors.

Biology explains that many female primates, baboons for instance, when nearing ovulation display red genitalia which attracts their male co-species. I emphasize fertility, and thus increase the likelihood of reproduction. See, I play a significant role in species survival. And my prowess is extended way beyond this biological predisposition.

Society has continuously associated me with passion, lust, and sexuality. It is evident in the ads, in the cosmetics, in your vocabulary. Red hearts, red lipsticks, red-light districts. The link has been so well established, that in one study, college students positively related me with love and romance when asked on their thoughts about me (Kaya & Epps, 2004). Also another study have shown that men reported women displaying “artificial” red- that is, wearing red shirts or red lipstick on- as more attractive and sexy (Elliot and Nesta, 2008 in Kayser et al., 2010).

In a more recent investigation by Kayser & colleagues (2010), it was found that I increase the likelihood that men would ask more intimate questions to a woman, and that men would literally get closer to her.

The study conducted at the University of Rochester, USA consented a total of 45 male undergraduates ages 18-22 to participate in two experiments. In the first experiment, the males who were shown a photograph of a woman wearing a red shirt significantly preferred to ask more intimate questions (e.g., ‘‘How could a guy get your attention at a bar?’’) to her than do the males who were shown a photograph of the same woman wearing green shirt. In the second experiment, a separate group of males who were shown a photograph of a woman dressed in red chose to sit closer to where they were made to believe she was about to sit, than do males who were shown a photograph of a woman dressed in blue. The findings for the two experiments were independent of the participants’ perception of their own attractiveness, mood, and general activation. So, regardless of how high or low a male thinks of himself, I influence him the same way.

My very own “red effect” may be accounted for by the biological predisposition I have mentioned above. Societal associations may have further reinforced it. But taking another perspective, my long waves, which appear to be a closer stimulus to the participants than the shorter ones (blue and green), may have yielded the bias since closer stimulus were found to be more preferred across sexes (Niedenthal & colleagues, 2005, & Williams & Bargh, 2008, both in Kayser et al., 2010).

Donna Summer by Ben Duarri Screen Prince

Now that Valentine’s is nearly approaching, I just think it would be a great time for you to start considering me in your wardrobe. :P

Not only do I tell a lot, I influence big-time! There’s more to me than just being a mere hue. There are a lot of stories I create in the minds of those who see me. Nonetheless, those who see me create a lot more stories about me. And that includes you.

Kaya, N. & Epps, H. H. (2004). Relationship between color and emotion: A study of college students. College Student Journa, 38 (3), 396-405.

Kayser, D. N., Elliot, A. J. & Feltman, R. (2010). Fast track report: Red and romantic behavior in men viewing women. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40, 901–908.

~LJDR