Sunday, August 17, 2008

Blinded by Red?



As the world watches the Olympics, it’s red that catches our eye. Not only is red making a permanent imprint on our brain as THE color (and presence) of China . . . but . . . now we can wonder if red may be contributing to higher scores. In other words, “Are the judges under the influence of red?”

On August 15, 2008, German scientists released a study that found that "Competitors dressed in red are awarded more points than competitors dressed in blue, even when their performance is identical." The research also found that red actually seems to intimidate players on opposite teams, instead of boosting the performance of athletes.

Many believe that several China's gymnasts are too young for the Olympics (and therefore illegal), but maybe the real competitive edge comes from the color red.


Source

1 comment:

Rick Henderson said...

I think it is totally plausible. When you look at all the other studies of the psychological impact of colour in various sitations, it is incredibly plausible that red is contributing to either higher scores, poor performance in the opposition, or both.

Like the old joke about saying the hockey team dressed in black is the one that will win.

-But what do I know? I'm just a Typegeek