Romantic red revisited: Red enhances menʹs attraction to young, but not menopausal women

Recent studies have shown that the color red enhances menʹs sexual attraction to women. In this study, a sample of 60 young (M = 24.67 years) and 60 old male participants (M = 53.47 years) was presented either a young female target (perceived age: M = 23.67 years), or an old female target (perceived age: M = 48.18 years), either on a red or white background. The results show that only the young target was perceived as more sexually attractive against the red compared to the white background. Background color had no effect on the sexual attractiveness of the older target. Further implications of these findings are discussed.