The Colour of Love…Can You Ace a Date with Tints?
Alex Mellor-Brook, Co-founder and Dating Expert at Select Personal Introductions discusses colour psychology in dating
Colour psychology is much less developed than you might think. We all think we know about colour - pale blue and green are calming that’s why they paint mental wellbeing environments in those colours, grey promotes efficiency - hence the military’s love of grey corridors, red makes us feel more powerful so we should wear it when we ask for a pay rise etc. But most of the ‘evidence’ for this is untested and culturally conditioned. So what do we know for sure?
Colour and Social Status
This is a cultural phenomenon, but it’s pretty universal as far as certain colours are concerned. Gold, silver, purple and deep red all tend to suggest high status (and high income) but beware! Humans are incredibly perceptive - we have an innate ability to tell real precious metals from fake and we can instantly assess the quality of fabrics and colours: everybody can tell silk from nylon at a hundred paces and we generally know if a garment is a high quality woven item or a cheap dyed one.
Colours and Emotions
Broadly speaking, ‘warm’ colours: red, orange and yellow generally evoke emotions ranging from warmth, through comfort through to excitement, and even anger and hostility. ‘Cool’ colours such as blue and green often calm the emotions and create serenity but can also lead to feelings like sadness … or apathy.
So is the best answer to play it safe and wear orange with pale green, or spice up our blue outfit with a splash of crimson to allure our date? Probably not.
The best way to look at this is to reverse the process. Think about how colours affect you. Do you feel more confident and sexier in red, or orange, or do those shades cause you to become irritable and on edge? Are you happiest in cool tones or do they water down your responses to the point of indifference?
Showing up for a date in colours that play to your emotional strengths can be the best approach, so if people have told you you’re ‘full on’, then toning down your outfit with blue, green or grey might help your date to see you in a more balanced way. If you feel that you don’t have strong social skills or just lack confidence, maybe a pop of red or sunshine yellow may boost your mood enough to give your prospective partner a better view of your personality.
What Colour Attracts a Partner?
Well, it’s red. Yes, the colour of love, sex, anger and hostility is the best colour to wear if you’re trying to attract somebody. Interestingly, a study carried out on the TV programme, ‘First Dates’, (2013-present) found that red, along with black, were the two most popular colours worn by contestants on their first date – however, there are caveats. Men view women wearing red as being more sexually attractive. Women view men wearing red as being of higher status. But, maybe this isn’t what you want to portray.
So, what’s the take-home? It’s that you should feel comfortable in what you wear. But if you can feel that you’ve chosen your clothes to make a good impression, and to give you confidence in yourself, you’ll probably show up with a bit more self-belief and that’s always a good thing.
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