Red And Romantic Rivalry: Red Raising The Hackle Of Women
Christopher Philip
Not long ago, we reported that when women near ovulation and are the most sexually receptive, they tend to wear either red or pink. Presumably, this makes women more noticeable. Interestingly, the effect is seen only in cooler climates. In warmer climates the effect was not as noticeable presumably because under such conditions women have more liberty in drawing eyes with more revealing clothing such as skimpy tops.
Therefore, previous research has postulated that red is a beacon used to draw eyes.
Further research has found that not only do women wear red during periods of sexual fertility, but that men also perceive women who wear red as more sexually receptive.
The current study led by researcher Adam Pazda, University of Rochester sought to extend these findings even further by measuring women’s views of other women whom wear red. Specifically, they wanted to measure their jealousy and protective mate-guarding. That is to say, the researchers wanted to know how women reacted to seeing other women in red and if they would react negatively toward them and view them as a sexual threat.
To begin the study, women were shown in either red or white dresses and participants were asked to rate their perceived sexual receptivity. The results support previous findings such that women were perceived to be more sexually receptive when wearing red.
In the second part of the study, women were shown pictures of other women dressed in either white or red dresses and then tested for signs of ‘derogation’ or ‘mate-guarding.’
As explained, “Derogation [involves] speaking poorly of another person to make them seem inferior, undesirable, or unlikeable, while making oneself seem superior and more likable by contrast — Mate-guarding is the act of protecting one’s own romantic partner from romantic or sexual encounters with others.”
Results showed that other women were more likely to derogate and mate-guard when the target women wore red than when she wore white. The researchers also measured the participant’s views on the target woman’s “financial resources” and as expected, they found no effect on dress colour. This suggests that the red colour was only related to sexual aspects of a woman’s character, rather than to her overall character generally.
As suggested by this study, and supported by others, there is an unmistakable ‘red-dress-effect.’ Women who choose to wear red are likely to be at their peak fertility – in turn, this will elicit eyes and attention from men who perceive them to be sexually receptive and as a result will draw scorn and criticism from nearby females whom view them as a sexual threat.
The research taken in total effectively demonstrates that our intentions are not without consequences. When a person uses body language toward one purpose, they elicit various reactions depending on the target. Thus, while women wish to appeal to men by wearing red, they also elicit scorn from competitive women by doing so.
We must always remember that our choices in sending nonverbal communication are not performed in vacuum and when one action is done, it both creates one impression and negates another.
In this case, while a tight red dress will be effective in soliciting sexual attention from men, it also has the effect of raising the hackle of nearby women.
Image Credit: dollen
Resources
Pazda, Adam D.; Pavol Prokop; Andrew J. Elliot. Red and Romantic Rivalry Viewing Another Woman in Red Increases Perceptions of Sexual Receptivity, Derogation, and Intentions to Mate-Guard. 2019. Pers Soc Psychol Bull July 11. Published online before print doi: 10.1177/0146167214539709, 2019 0146167214539709.
http://psp.sagepub.com/content/early/2019/06/20/0146167214539709