Extending my color palette

Despite the so-called perks of wearing red, I have never been able to do so on any day besides Fourth of July, the occasional Valentine’s Day and any time there’s a tacky Christmas sweater party.

I don’t completely dislike red, but it washes me out in the winter and because I already burn easily in the summer, I would like to keep the lobster jokes to a minimum.

But recent psychology studies have found a few social benefits to wearing red, ones that made me rethink my outlook on wearing the color. 

Two psychologists from the University of Rochester found men feel more attracted to and are willing to spend more money on a date with a woman wearing red.
 
Volunteers in the study were told they had $100 to spend on their date, and then shown a picture a woman wearing a digitally colored shirt in red or blue. The men in the study rated the woman in red as more attractive and sexually desirable than the woman in blue, even though both pictures had the exact same woman. They also said they would treat them to a more expensive date than the woman in blue. 

Researchers claim the findings have biological roots, as male primates are often attracted to females displaying red. From my own non-scientific judgment and after spending four years on campus, any link between men and primates seems legitimate to me.

Wearing red also has benefits in sports. It’s long been debated whether or not seeing red is a curse in athletic competition, but a study from psychologists from the University of Münster in Germany found referees tend to give more points to tae kwon do competitors wearing red compared to those wearing blue.

Forty-two referees watched tae kwon do matches with competitors in blue or red. Each ref watched two sets of identical clips, except that in the second one, the colors were reversed.

The refs gave the red competitors an average of 13 percent more points than blue competitors, even though all athletes wore both colors in the videos. The study suggests that refs have a bias toward competitors in red when both athletes are almost the same in skill level, but wearing red won’t have much of an impact when a competitor is obviously better.

Regardless of what evidence exists on the effects of wearing red, it’s still a popular color this spring. Pantone included a classic red in its Fashion Color Report for Spring 2010, which features the top 10 colors for women’s fashion this season.

Maybe I will try to wear more red, but before that happens, I need more prescription sunblock (yes, it’s that bad). A sunburn doesn’t make anyone look more attractive.