What makes the color Red so special?

So, just why does everybody love the color red so much? It may not be everybody’s favorite color, but you can bet that’s it’s pretty high on their list. It’s definitely a head-turner. Just watch a red sports car drive by and people’s head will turn to follow it. And why is it that studies have shown that athletes wearing a red uniform on average will often outperform those athletes dressed in other colors. Scientists believe that it’s a perceived dominance, with the athlete feeling more dominant and more aggressive. And this perception is shared by their opponents and also by referees.

But red can also be a sign of danger, which is why it is often used to grab people’s attention and to warn people of impending dangers. We have red traffic signals, red fire trucks, red stop signs etc. It is one of the most vibrant and visible colors on the spectrum, and that’s why it catches our eye.

And what about when it comes to love and passion. Red roses, red dresses, red shoes, and red sports cars. It invokes love, passion and desire. People wearing clothes are often rated as more attractive by the opposite sex in many studies. A famous study found that some of the men who were shown a picture of a woman in a red shirt, and the other men were shown a picture of the same woman but only this time in a blue shirt. The results showed that these men rated the woman wearing the red shirt as far more sexually desirable than the woman in the blue shirt, even though it was the same woman.

What about Power? Surely you’ve heard of the Red Carpet that is rolled out for the rich and famous celebrities. And the red tie worn by businessmen is a symbol of power and can be found right across the world. There is this association between power and wealth and that probably explains why women as attracted to men who are dressed in red.

But whatever you take on the color red, we can all agree on one thing: Red is never boring.

Red is never boring