Department of Clinical & Social Sciences in Psychology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2012;7(4):e34607. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034607. Epub 2012 Apr 13.
In many non-human primate species, a display of red by a female serves as a sexual signal to attract male conspecifics. Red is associated with sex and romance in humans, and women convey their sexual interest to men through a variety of verbal, postural, and behavioral means. In the present research, we investigate whether female red ornamentation in non-human primates has a human analog, whereby women use a behavioral display of red to signal their sexual interest to men.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Three studies tested the hypothesis that women use red clothing to communicate sexual interest to men in profile pictures on dating websites. In Study 1, women who imagined being interested in casual sex were more likely to display red (but not other colors) on their anticipated web profile picture. In Study 2, women who indicated interest in casual sex were more likely to prominently display red (but not other colors) on their actual web profile picture. In Study 3, women on a website dedicated to facilitating casual sexual relationships were more likely to prominently exhibit red (but not other colors) than women on a website dedicated to facilitating marital relationships.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results establish a provocative parallel between women and non-human female primates in red signal coloration in the mating game. This research shows, for the first time, a functional use of color in women's sexual self-presentation, and highlights the need to extend research on color beyond physics, physiology, and preference to psychological functioning.
在许多非人类灵长类动物中，雌性表现出红色是一种吸引雄性同类的性信号。红色与人类的性和浪漫有关，女性通过各种言语、姿势和行为手段向男性表达性兴趣。在本研究中，我们调查了非人类灵长类动物中的雌性红色装饰是否具有人类类似物，即女性是否通过展示红色的行为来向男性传达性兴趣。
方法/主要发现：三项研究检验了以下假设：女性在约会网站的个人资料照片中使用红色服装来向男性传达性兴趣。在研究 1 中，想象自己对随意性行为感兴趣的女性更有可能在她们预期的网络个人资料照片中展示红色（而不是其他颜色）。在研究 2 中，表明对随意性行为感兴趣的女性更有可能在她们实际的网络个人资料照片中突出显示红色（而不是其他颜色）。在研究 3 中，与专门促进婚姻关系的网站相比，专门促进随意性关系的网站上的女性更有可能突出展示红色（而不是其他颜色）。
结论/意义：这些结果在交配游戏中确立了一个关于女性和非人类雌性灵长类动物在红色信号颜色方面的引人注目的相似之处。这项研究首次展示了颜色在女性性自我呈现中的功能用途，并强调需要将颜色研究从物理、生理学和偏好扩展到心理功能。
