Though we learned recently that the concept of “pink is for girls, blue is for boys” wasn’t even developed until the last century, a group of Chinese scientists claim our color preferences are rooted in our hunter-gatherer past. You see, women like pinks and reds because it reminds them of the purples and reds of ripe fruit and berries, while blue skies signal to men that the weather is good for hunting.
For the study, 350 students examined colors for 11 minutes, then reported their color preferences and took a personality test, according to the Daily Mail. Women said they prefer pink, purple, and white, while men liked blue and green. The report, which was published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences says, “This result fitted well with the hunter-gatherer theory on sex difference.” Certainly the women in the study couldn’t be gravitating toward pinks and purples because those are the colors they’ve had shoved down their throats since birth.
The report claims that women’s brains are specialized for the “identification of ripe fruit or edible red leaves embedded in green foliage.” Because people only eat red or purple berries (with the exception of blueberries and blackberries) and all edible leaves are red (with the exception of spinach, lettuce, kale, and a variety of other vegetables). The researchers also suggest a sensitivity to red helped women pick a mate, since rosy cheeks indicate good health (but apparently only in men).
If that doesn’t satisfy your hunger for specious findings, the researchers also say introverted men preferred yellow, while neurotic women liked grey. Also women with a sunny disposition like orange, but nobody likes brown! Our caveman ancestors probably associated it with the stench of dinosaur poop. It’s just good science, people!
Modern Girls Are Born To Plump For Pink ‘Thanks To Berry-Gathering Female Ancestors’ [Daily Mail]
Earlier: The History Of Pink For Girls, Blue For Boys
Image via Oliver Hoffmann/Shutterstock.
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