In the News: What does red mean to you?

In a recent study conducted at the University of Rochester of New York, Andrew Elliot, Ph.D., found that "men find women sexier if they're sporting a crimson hue rather than ... blue or green".1 Men demonstrated greater levels of attraction toward women wearing red. So what does this mean and why does this happen? What are the effects of it? Is it localized in Rochester, New York or has it globalized to countries abroad? This post will provide a two dimensional paradox between culture and nature. 

Elliot stated that "In the real world, we have a welter of information coming at us about smell, sight, words -- who knows what accounts for the most variance in liking and behavior?". He continued, "My strong guess is that if you bring this to the real world and have females who are interested in their date and wear red, they are sending a message that 'I'm available'"1 

I found the previous study quite intriguing as only minutes later I clicked on an article called "Modesty Patrols' Attacking Women in Israel". This article reports that in Israel's Orthodox Jewish community, there are groups of individuals determined to "stamp out behavior they consider unchaste".2 This behavior, ironically there in of itself, is one: women wearing red and, two: consorting with me. They hurl stones at women for such "sins". They attack businesses where Internet access is available or purchasable through electronics. These self-proclaimed "modesty patrols" have beat women for the appearance of availability.

I believe that Elliot's explanation far surpasses any I could provide. He states, "From red roses to Valentine's Day, the red is the universally recognized sing of romance; it makes sense that men may subconsciously associate the color red with sex". 1 Again, there are two reasons why Israeli women are being shunned, stoned and beat; one, they are wearing red, and two; they are "consorting" with men. So, is wearing red, a "crimson hue", culturally influential or contagious through Americanization or is it deep seeded in our minds that red equals sex?  

Contrary to the cultural perspective, Elliot offers a biological point of view as well. In his research he found that "the rumps of some primates turn red during ovulation, so it's possible that men have some tiny portion deep in their brain that recognizes red as a mating symbol -- even though it's an association that hasn't come in handy for a few million years"/ He concluded , "It's all speculation at this point. The study can't determine if red is sexy because we're all just a bunch of animals running around in business suits, or if red is a culturally determined sex symbol." 

1 http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/10/28/red.sex.appeal/index.html

2 http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1847347,00.html?xid=feed-cnn-topics