Man are attracted to red

The bulls are naturally attracted to red cloth. Many banks in Malaysia took advantage of their merger to change their signage to red or partly red colour. Flags of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines are all having red stripes. Except the yellow star, Vietnam's national flag is 95 percent red. Air Asia airline is the best carrier for red colour.

Forget about lipsticks, a chap becomes instantly more desirable to the opposite sex if he has on a scarlet shirt or crimson tie, research shows. Even a pair of pillar-box red socks could do the trick. The finding could help explain the appeal of Tiger Woods, who sports the red colour on the final day of a golf tournament.

And a red suit may have helped Muse singer Matt Bellamy catch the eye of actress Kate Hudson. The researchers showed women from around the world, including some Britons, pictures of a ‘moderately attractive’ man.

The photos had been doctored to show him wearing shirts of different colours or standing against several backgrounds.

Others were framed in various colours. A dash of red led to the man being viewed as more attractive and desirable. He was also seen as having a higher social status, the Journal of Experimental Psychology reported.

Researcher Andrew Elliot, of Rochester University in the U.S., said that red is associated with power, passion and fertility in the animal kingdom – and people are no different.

‘This suggests that women’s thoughts and feelings toward men are, at least in part, primitive,’ he said.

‘The question “What do women want?” with regard to sexual attraction and desire has puzzled men and scholars for many years.

‘Our research suggests that the answer may be more provocative, than anticipated.’

Wearing red may also make a man feel more self-assured.

Dr Elliot added: ‘The red shirt that Tiger Woods adorns on the final day of golf tournaments likely provides him with a confidence-boosting reminder of his alpha status in the golf world as it simultaneously reminds his competitors they are probably facing another long day.’

Red is also associated with dominance on the football pitch, with previous research finding that teams wearing red strips win more matches.

Its association with dominance and aggression may enhance players’ game. Or perhaps red shirts are simply easier to see, improving their accuracy of passing.