The woman in red drives the men crazy, study finds
source: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE49R18320081028
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- DeliaTheArtist
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Men rated a woman shown in photographs as more sexually attractive if she was wearing red clothing or if she was shown in an image framed by a red border rather than some other color, U.S. researchers said Tuesday.
The study led by psychology professor Andrew Elliot of the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, seemed to confirm red as the color of romance -- as so many Valentine's Day card makers and lipstick sellers have believed for years.
Although this "red alert" may be a product of human society associating red with love for eons, it also may arise from more primitive biological roots, Elliot said.
Noting the genetic similarity of humans to higher primates, he said scientists have shown that certain male primates are especially attracted to females of their species displaying red. For example, female baboons and chimpanzees show red coloring when nearing ovulation, sending a sexual signal that the males apparently find irresistible.
"It could be this very deep, biologically based automatic tendency to respond to red as an attraction cue given our evolutionary heritage," Elliot, whose findings appear in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, said in a telephone interview.
The study involved more than 100 men, mostly college undergraduates, who were shown pictures of women and asked to rate how pretty they were, how much the men would like to kiss them and how much the men would like to have sex with them.
Men were shown a woman, with some of the pictures bordered in red and some bordered in white, gray or green. Even though it was the same picture of the same woman, when she was framed in red the men rated her as more attractive than when she was bordered by another color.
Men were then shown photographs of a woman that were identical except that the researchers digitally made her shirt red in some versions or blue in others. And once again, the men strongly favored the woman in red.
The men also were asked, "Imagine that you are going on a date with this person and have $100 in your wallet. How much money would you be willing to spend on your date?" When she was clad in red, the men said they would spend more money on her.
The researchers noted that the color red did not alter how men rated the women in the photographs in terms of likeability, intelligence or kindness -- only attractiveness.
The researchers then had a group of young women rate whether the pictured woman was pretty. Red had no impact on whether women rated other women as pretty, they found.
Gay men and color blind men were excluded from the study."
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- Community, Sex and Love, Sex, Current News UK, 3 more
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- tags:
- News, Current News UK, Sex and Love, Women, 8 more
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SHAWN_RITTIMAN
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I only like the color red when a woman wears it!
- 2 years ago
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SHAWN_RITTIMAN
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purpleagenda
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ive tested this out after i red it just for fun, and when i wore red, one of my close guy friends who is just a friend started becoming all flirty and touchy, and we've been friends for like 6 years
- 3 years ago
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purpleagenda
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GeoffNI
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I think there is alot of truth in this
- 3 years ago
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GeoffNI
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BooksBrown
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yes and yes again.
- 3 years ago
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BooksBrown
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dankitti
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They did NOT need to do a study for that. They could just ask me. ;)
- 3 years ago
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dankitti
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Juas
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I guess thats why I always told my gf to get red dresses to wear for me.
- 3 years ago
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Juas
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oracleruby
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Juas:
I do the SAME thing.
- 3 years ago
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oracleruby
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cantucwearebrothers
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Juas:
You "told" her to get them? You could buy them for her, ya know. :-)
- 3 years ago
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cantucwearebrothers
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Juas
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Juas:
I did buy her a dress and some other things...
But I guess I need MORE! - 3 years ago
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Juas
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achromatic
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OLD NEWS, why is this in here?
- 3 years ago
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achromatic
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kiltedandfree
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#eldamon stated
I'm think that dress will look great on the floor no matter what color it is '-)You couldn't have stated that better. It's nice as long as it's on, but off and on the floor is just where that red dress should be. Though I do agree that the pose could have been better, looks like she is saying "OOOh what is that on my shoe?" and there is nothing sexy about that.
- 3 years ago
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kiltedandfree
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DoubleHeadedEagle
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Nothing beats ....an attractive woman in a red dress.
- 3 years ago
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DoubleHeadedEagle
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walski
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"Red had no impact on whether women rated other women as pretty, they found.
Gay men and color blind men were excluded from the study."
Further proving that the heterosexual man has not evolved like the rest of our species. Probably due to the fact that most of the world is controlled by them (or us, me included)
- 3 years ago
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walski
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damnneargenius
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Why didn't they test it against other bright colors?
- 3 years ago
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damnneargenius
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HeidiSU
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Isn't the color red also linked to triggering hunger or appetite?
- 3 years ago
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HeidiSU
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Juas
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HeidiSU:
that would be correct.
Hunger for womanhood. rawr! - 3 years ago
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Juas
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sk8bs55
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i could not have said it better myself, yeah? so whats the deal with that, eh? I don't get it, although i was wondering the same thing too.
- 3 years ago
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sk8bs55
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eldamon
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I'm think that dress will look great on the floor no matter what color it is '-)
- 3 years ago
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eldamon
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kiltedandfree
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You know our government spent thousands if not millions for some university professor to study for years to come up with that information. I think our tax dollars can be used for much better information. I wonder how much this information cost us? It's all federal grant money folks that bring us this kind of great scientific break-through information.
- 3 years ago
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kiltedandfree
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Menchaca
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Red is just a hott color!
- 3 years ago
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Menchaca
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ninepounds6
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I think there are three reasons why red may have this effect:
1- Evolutionary. Primates often use red in face and sexual areas, so do birds and a host of other animals. Blood, blushing, anger, all the emotions are tied into this as well.
2 - It just stands out! Anything that stands out is going to attract attention.
3 - Articles like this one that placee a certain stigma or expectation. Men and women have had the "red" discussion for millenia I assume, since rouge and lipstick have been around for thousands of years anyway, so sort of like the green M&M... if there is a certain expectation, then there is a certain reaction... from both sexes.
- 3 years ago
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ninepounds6
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ScratchyPants
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ninepounds6:
Interesting take on it all. I agree with your points but I, myself, like a little black dress on a woman versus red. The red may scream "Look at me, look at me" too much. I could be way off on that but that's how I feel.
- 3 years ago
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ScratchyPants
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ninepounds6
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ninepounds6:
Agreed... I have one red dress and a dozen black ones. And I have 7 or 8 black nightgowns or teddies but not one red one.
I do admit to one red pair of "slut shoes" though!
- 3 years ago
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ninepounds6
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ScratchyPants
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ninepounds6:
7 or 8 black nightgowns and teddies, huh? Will you marry me?
- 3 years ago
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ScratchyPants
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ninepounds6
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ninepounds6:
Lemme see your bank account....
:)
- 3 years ago
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ninepounds6
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ScratchyPants
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ninepounds6:
Great! It's all settled then! When we get married, my mom is on the opposite side of the house. She won't bother us.
Hahaha....... just kidding.
- 3 years ago
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ScratchyPants
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Mark701
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ninepounds6:
I agree with all your reasoning. Personally I think black is much sexier on women 30 and up. Whether or not its true, when I see a black dress on a woman I see sophistication, intelligence and class, confidence and sensuality. Red is for kids in their teens and twenties.
- 3 years ago
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Mark701
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asherp
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Really?
Red is so boring.
My favourite colors for a lady to dress in are bright azure blue, bright green, purple, or yellow.
- 3 years ago
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asherp
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ClareW
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The photo in this story isn't hot at all; she looks like she's checking to see if there's gum on her shoe.
- 3 years ago
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ClareW
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sueathome
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Kind of makes men sound stupid.
- 3 years ago
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sueathome
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larock
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"AW RATS, I stepped in gum again!"
- 3 years ago
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larock
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DavidNewbigging
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In other news - the sky was confirmed to be blue.
- 3 years ago
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DavidNewbigging
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jonny2times
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for sure, its like a candy apple red sportscar you can have sex with, the red making all the curves more vibrant and obvious.
- 3 years ago
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jonny2times
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skyla
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I love the colour red. As much as it is a bright, confident and daring colour, I also find it alluring, soft and comforting.
- 3 years ago
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skyla
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mookster_07
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Note the glasses
- 3 years ago
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mookster_07
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DaveTheInventor
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Its Devilish and Erotic.
- 3 years ago
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DaveTheInventor
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purplefox
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that's an interesting study, and I guess it makes sense, since red is both culturally and naturally seen as a sign of arousal and sexual receptiveness (such as everything from chameleons to humans flushing pinky-red). Cool that it has so much effect even with a red border though!
- 3 years ago
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purplefox
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HolyCity2012
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Why the boys always fall for a lady in red - and spend more!
- 3 years ago
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HolyCity2012
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Catinatree
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Gim Tang for VP Calls McCain. shes more pretty and more smarter I bet. to hot to be republican though
- 3 years ago
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Catinatree
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Helen_Croydon
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I love red, especially shoes!
- 3 years ago
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Helen_Croydon
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petarro
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Actually, those boobs and that body with that dress would drive anyone crazy.
- 3 years ago
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petarro
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cheakywillie
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wow
i must be really, really oldi saw FILM that was called
The Woman In Redit starred old ass Kelly LeBrock
and Gene Wilderthe soundtrack was by this blind elder who called himself
Stevie Wonderback in my day we all knew women in red were the ones to go after
- 3 years ago
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cheakywillie
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cassandrajl
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And wait a minute, isnt Sarah Palin's color red? Hm...
- 3 years ago
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cassandrajl
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Reddi
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not surprising ... but nice to know. Red has been and is my favorite color =-] ...
- 3 years ago
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Reddi
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justright
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We can settle this, lets get our reader (or their partners) to dress up in a red outfit and we can vote. remember the sexier the outfit the better.
- 3 years ago
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justright
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adveritas
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Red is daring. Red is blushing. Red is anger. And red is love. All these things insight the passion of life inside us?
But I'm a blue man, there is something more deep in that color, like the ocean.
- 3 years ago
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adveritas
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cassandrajl
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haha i love it! cool study! And yes, even girls are impressed when another girl wears a red dress, as opposed to everyone else and their blacks and whites and other colored dresses. Its just a thing. Psychology of colors...
- 3 years ago
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cassandrajl
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Agent_Alpha
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Color can be a very Powerful influence.
http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Colors_Trap - 3 years ago
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Agent_Alpha
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Mobius2012
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My girl would look hotter in that dress.....
- 3 years ago
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Mobius2012
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darkhorsejim
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This goes beyond just wearing superficial clothes & speaks to a more primal attraction to the color of red based on survival. A woman ultimately holds the power of humanity continuing, always bearing the next generation with each of us trying to find our place & exist in harmony with Mother Earth's natural cycles, while she in turn keeps the world's ecosystems alive & running, allowing us to live.
But, for a lot of women when they take off their red dress, their ability to attract a potential mate rises with far less red visible-proof of the color's innate & seductive powers. Her red lips, the fuller the better, often brightened with lipstick are immediately inviting to the eyes-leaving the “viewer of red” waiting & wondering what the next word to be spoken will be – either yes or no.
If you’re still around, then the next most obvious red places of interest are the nipples of the breasts, reacting themselves to many stimulating circumstances. And finally, moving down to the genitalia, the reddish flesh of all can be revealed – and for many men, the most desirable because a little goes a long way, in nature’s mating game. Go Red!
- 3 years ago
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darkhorsejim
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cringeNYC
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Here is something funny... http://www.copycutpaste.com/blog/2008/10/29/new-study-red-makes-you-more-attract...
- 3 years ago
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cringeNYC
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rightbrain
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Red is magic. In fact, the earliest reproducible color. You can't explain it through syntax, only though ancient burial rituals...
- 3 years ago
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rightbrain
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Neghie
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Even if she has missing teeth, a slight mustache, uneven legs and talks with a lisp?
- 3 years ago
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Neghie
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borymp
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Neghie:
I know some guys that will screw a snake if you held it's mouth open.
- 3 years ago
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borymp
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TaniaK
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I am wearing red overalls tomorrow.
- 3 years ago
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TaniaK
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borymp
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TaniaK:
Nice.
- 3 years ago
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borymp
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asherp
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TaniaK:
overalls are hot.
red? meh.
- 3 years ago
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asherp
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kennymotown
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That chick is hot and the red dress just intensifies it for me.
- 3 years ago
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kennymotown
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borymp
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kennymotown:
She looks frigid enough to thaw. Ooooh riiiight!
- 3 years ago
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borymp
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borymp
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http://current.com/items/89466544_republican_takes_swipe_at_mccain
Check out the woman in red in the background of this picture.
Guys? Eh? Eh? You want her...right?
- 3 years ago
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borymp
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SHAWN_RITTIMAN
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borymp:
My eyes are bleeding....
- 2 years ago
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SHAWN_RITTIMAN
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cantucwearebrothers
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I think it has a lot to do with a confident woman being more likely to wear red.
Self assured women are very attractive.
- 3 years ago
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cantucwearebrothers
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Mark701
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cantucwearebrothers:
Odd, I think just the opposite. Red is for women who need to be noticed. Black bespeaks confidence and style.
- 3 years ago
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Mark701
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cantucwearebrothers
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cantucwearebrothers:
Black is the color most women wear to hide perceived flaws.
- 3 years ago
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cantucwearebrothers
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isnamthere
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These two posts, "red dress" and "jesus", were exactly what current readers needed, Delia. Thank you. I think we all needed a break from the election bullshit. That is evidenced by the quick rise to the top for your posts.
- 3 years ago
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isnamthere
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Goldstza
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ha ha ha she purdy
- 3 years ago
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Goldstza
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Argon18
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The Woman in the Red Dress certainly got your attention in The Matrix so there must be something to it.
- 3 years ago
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Argon18
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DeliaTheArtist
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Argon18:
Great reference! I hadn't even thought of that!
- 3 years ago
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DeliaTheArtist
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Dmitri_Molotov
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Argon18:
Beat me to it.
"But uh... if you're interested I can arrange a much more... personal visit." - Mouse - 3 years ago
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Dmitri_Molotov
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Argon18
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Argon18:
It was the first thing I thought of when I saw the article.
Another thing from Mouse: "To deny our own impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us human."
You got to be faster on the draw I guess right? To quote another venerable Master other than Neo
Master Kan: "Quickly as you can, snatch the pebble from my hand."
- 3 years ago
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Argon18
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SANMedia
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Argon18:
Well, she kinda stood out as she was the only person dressed in red while the rest were in dark-ish color...
Either way, that was a fantastic movie.
- 3 years ago
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SANMedia
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infinity9
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meh...women in black do it for me. not that color matters all that much.
- 3 years ago
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infinity9
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borymp
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If a woman looks like the one pictured above she could wear full body overalls and look good.
Red overalls...would probably give Alan Greenspan a MI.
- 3 years ago
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borymp
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isnamthere
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It says in the study that gay men were not tested. I wonder if the color red would have the same effect on a gay man if he were to see it worn by another man?
- 3 years ago
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isnamthere
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The_Natural [removed]
- This comment was removed by its owner.
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The_Natural [removed]
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outtheinside
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The_Natural:
the study doesn't say red makes you attractive. the study says red, as compared to other colors the same person could wear, makes men more attracted to you than if you were to wear another color.
to your last point about women not wearing more red..
the study made a point to say that women were not ranking other woman more attractive due to wearing red. if the women aren't aware of the heightened attractiveness of themselves (women) then what's the incentive for them ((how are they to know)) to wear more red??
- 3 years ago
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outtheinside
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isnamthere
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The_Natural:
It's what they found in their study. You don't have to believe it if you don't want to.
- 3 years ago
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isnamthere
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outtheinside
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The_Natural:
well your comments about not seeing women wearing red is a sample bias and i filled you in on why women might not wear red all the time. you being over my head just isn't happening.
obviously, from what you've said, you hold a PhD in Psychology and have researched published that contradicts this study..... somehow I don't believe that to be true....
- 3 years ago
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outtheinside
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justright
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The_Natural:
I wonder why they make most lingerie in red and black?
- 3 years ago
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justright
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DeliaTheArtist
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The_Natural:
Some women look better in certain colors depending on their skin tone and hair color as well. Just like make-up might affect the way someone looks, their clothing definitely does.
- 3 years ago
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DeliaTheArtist
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Argon18
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The_Natural:
As an example would the one this image as atractive in a different color dress? I'd say no
If you put the example at the top of the article in a blue dress would she be as attractive? I'd say yes
So it does seem to depend on the atractiveness of the person to begin with.
- 3 years ago
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Argon18
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jonny2times
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The_Natural:
a new paint job makes and junker look better by linear comparison.
sorry so crude.
- 3 years ago
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jonny2times
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satanskidney
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i prefer clear but who am i to judge?
- 3 years ago
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satanskidney
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metalcookiesxy70
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What about blue?
Very interesting post.. - 3 years ago
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metalcookiesxy70
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justright
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I'm not sure if your right, you got any more pictures?
- 3 years ago
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justright
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HolyCity2012
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justright:
yeah,
I am going to need more pictures to form any sort of valid scientific opinion.
- 3 years ago
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HolyCity2012
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DeliaTheArtist
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justright:
lol to both of you, but hey, why not!
- 3 years ago
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DeliaTheArtist
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justright
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justright:
Thanks Delia,
All politics and no fun, you know. - 3 years ago
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justright
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DeliaTheArtist
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The psychology of color is very interesting!
- 3 years ago
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DeliaTheArtist
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2muchinfo
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DeliaTheArtist:
Red is my favorite Hmmmm...
- 3 years ago
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2muchinfo
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isnamthere
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I wonder if? and how? this correlates to violence, testosterone and the fact that blood is red?
- 3 years ago
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isnamthere
