The clothing colour that boosts the sex appeal of both women and men revealed

RED clothing does boost the sex appeal of women, a study found — and men.

Both genders were rated about 20 per cent more attractive by potential partners when dressed in the colour.

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Red dresses, as worn by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, are famously linked to love and desire.

Researchers in China asked 160 students to rate the attractiveness of members of the opposite sex.

Those wearing red scored higher than those dressed in white.

Writing in the journal Acta Psychologica, Dr Xiaobin Hong said: “Both men and women perceived members of the opposite sex who wore red as more attractive than if they wore white.

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“These findings support the view that, during evolution, red indicated fertility and an increased possibility of reproductive success.

“The red-attractiveness relationship may stem from an inherited psychological adaptation.”

It adds to past studies that have also found the colour boosts sexiness and led to the theory of the “Red Dress Effect”.

Meanwhile in sports, business and politics, red may be viewed as threatening, competitive or powerful.

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Dr Hong said the colour has different meanings in different countries but studies have linked it to attraction all over the world.

They added: “If the red-attractiveness effect is driven by our evolutionary past, it should be evident in all cultures.”