Red the colour of winners

Extract from the Daily Mail August 2009

It is the colour worn by the football teams that have dominated the game.

So it should come as no surprise that scientists have discovered that red is the colour for winners.

Those who wear red tops, jackets or clothing score 10 per cent more in any competition than if they were in another colour.

Experts believe red could make individuals and teams feel more confident as well as being perceived by others as being more aggressive and dominant.

The findings will give fans of England's famous soccer clubs Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, an explanation for decades of success.

Red's pre-eminence emerged from a study by German sports psychologists at the University of Munster and reported in New Scientist.

The psychologists showed video clips of taekwondo bouts to 42 experienced referees. One combatant wore blue, the other red. They then showed them the same clips, after digitally manipulating the clothing to swap colours. The fighters wearing red were given an average of 13 per cent more points than the blue.