Romantic Red: Red as a Female Sexual Signal in Mating Contexts Seminar

Colour is typically thought of in terms of aesthetics, but recent theory and research suggests that colour can also carry important meaning.  In my talk I will overview a series of studies emerging from my and several other laboratories that links red to romantic meaning in the context of men's attraction to women.

Specifically, men are particularly attracted to women displaying red because they perceive red to be a signal of sexual receptivity, and women indeed appear to use red as sexual signal in mating contexts. Mediators and moderators of these effects will be discussed, as will avenues for future research.