JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In The Woman in Red, Teddy spots Charlotte in her red dress and can't help but want to meet her. Now, new research could explain why.
A study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology finds red clothing leads men to thoughts about sex.
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"It's an attention getter, it's eye catching," one woman admits.
"It's kind of like men that like looking at those nice, flashy, red cars," says another.
The seductive qualities of the color likely stem back to biology. when many primate females become fertile, their genitals turn bright red. That's a signal to males that it's time to make their move. And women like Susan Martin of Jacksonville know that men take note.
"It makes you look hotter. It grabs mens' attention a whole lot quicker than anything else," says Martin.
Jamie McCall of Jacksonville feels the same way about the red dress effect.
"Sexy. I guess it's just a headturner. It's bright, pops out," she says.
Whether it's evolutionary or cultural, why men really love red so much isn't known. But one thing is for sure, if you want to send a man's heart racing, do it in a red dress. That's why Martin only breaks her red dress out for something special.
"For that great first date, for holidays, for special events," she says.
It's not all about sex however. Red is also associated with energy, war, danger and power.