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scarlet lips , flushed hearts , red negligees — there ’s no doubt that Marxist is a seductive color . A common account for the sexiness of red suggests that workforce are attracted to the coloring material because it reminds them of genital arousal , much as the red swellings on distaff baboon ' bottoms sign receptivity to male baboons .
But this folk hypothesis does n’t hold up to the harsh light of science , a young discipline find . In fact , man are more attract to pink genitals than red-faced .
Red lipstick may be seductive, but not because of a link to genital color, research finds.
" It ’s too simplistic to basically say , ' Oh well , our closestprimate relativeshave these venereal swellings and therefore workforce are reacting to cherry color , ' " pronounce study investigator Sarah Johns , anthropologist at the University of Kent . Instead , the appealingness of red must consist elsewhere , Johns evidence LiveScience .
Seductive reddened
If red habiliment or lipstick act as a placeholder for genitals , it stands to reason that men would prefer ruddy vulva on women , Johns said . But no one had ever tested whether they actually do . So she and her colleagues decided to find out . [ 5 myth About Women ’s Bodies ]
The researchers first involve some similar , non - adult painting of female genitals , a task that was " quite hard , " Johns said . ultimately , they found a web site set up so that women could anonymously submit photographs of their vulva as part of a projection meant to educate women on the multifariousness of crotch and ameliorate ego - esteem . The research worker peck four likewise angled exposure and retouched each of them into pale pinko , weak pink , dark pink and red .
" We were really careful to check that that the re - colour looked rude , " Johns said .
Ranking cherry
The researchers then asked 40 heterosexual serviceman to look at all 16 images in random order and range them on a 0 - to-100 scale of measurement of attractiveness . The results showed that rather of opt red , the man really showed the least preference for red vulvas .
" It essentially showed that there was no unlike between the three pinkish shades , but the reddish nuance was ranked significantly less attractive , " Johns said . She and her colleagues published their research April 6 in the daybook PLoS ONE .
The red used was n’t brilliant enough to mimic a sexually channelise contagion , Johns tell , but it ’s potential the shade still bestow to mind inflammation . Still , the fact remains that bolshy has been demo to be aneye - catching , " dominant " spook , specially in competitory position . Why remains an open question , Johns said .
" sure as shooting the result of red is there , but take this kind of sexual signal out of the equation means we in reality can explore why this is the case , " she allege .
