Red Backgrounds Enhance Dominance in Human Faces and Shapes.

ABSTRACT: Red color signals dominance in both animals and humans. This study investigated whether a red background color influences the perception of dominance in human faces and geometric shapes. The facial stimuli consisted of computer-generated faces, quantitatively morphed into nine levels of dominance, ranging from less dominant to more dominant. This included East-Asian female faces in Experiment 1 and male faces in Experiment 2. The face stimuli were presented against three background colors: red, green, and gray. Participants were instructed to categorize the faces as either obedient or dominant by pressing the corresponding labeled keys. The results showed that faces were more likely to be perceived as dominant when presented against a red background than against green or gray backgrounds,

SUBMITTER: Chen N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11440532 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul-Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature