Mental Health

Wearing Red Makes Women Look "Slutty"

By Christine Hsu | Update Date: Jul 11, 2014 05:30 PM EDT

Wearing red gets women more dates and tips. However, new research reveals that women might be better off wearing the scarlet letter than red outfits in terms of making new friends.

Previous research revealed that men are more attracted to women who wear red. In the latest study, scientists from the University of Rochester, Trnava University, and the Slovak Academy of Sciences wanted to see how the color influenced women.

Researchers asked participants to compare a digital image of a woman wearing red versus a woman wearing white. Participants had to dill out a questionnaire about the woman's sexual receptivity with how much they agreed with statements like "This person is interested in sex."

The study revealed that women wearing red were perceived as significantly more sexually more receptive than women in white. Researchers noted that the findings held true after accounting for participants'' relationship status.

Researchers also found that women were more likely to ostracize and degrade their red-wearing counterparts.

"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," lead researcher Adam Pazda said in a journal release. "Mate-guarding is the act of protecting one's own romantic partner from romantic or sexual encounters with others."

Researchers found that women perceived another woman in red to be more promiscuous, versus white or green. Researchers also found that women were more likely to derogate red-wearing women. Participants were more likely to derogate a woman's sexual fidelity, but not financial resources.

The findings are published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

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