Wearing red gives off an air of anger, aggression and dominant behaviour

Men who have a habit of reaching for a red "power tie" to give off an air of confidence in meetings or interviews should think again.

According to researchers at Durham University, rather than conveying a certain testosterone-fuelled fortitude, red clothing sends out a signal that the wearer is angry, aggressive and prone to dominant behaviour.

In what may be an echo of the way certain male animals use displays of red to warn off competitors, men (but not women) also associated other men wearing red with dominance - this builds on research that shows wearing red can be an advantage in sport.

Being perceived as aggressive or dominant may be an advantage in some circumstances but a disadvantage in others where teamwork or trustworthiness is important.

• Diana Wiedemann, Durham University

Sadly, the researchers said their findings did not necessarily offer an alternative explanation as to why Labour leader Ed Miliband, who has been known to wear red ties, was rejected by the electorate.

There is a tricky trade-off. On the one hand you have the confidence and dominance implied by red, but then you have what it might imply about trustworthiness.

I wouldn’t feel confident recommending to a politician what colour to wear; a lot depends on context.

• Rob Barton, Durham University

The study, published in the journal Biology Letters, asked 50 male and 50 female volunteers to respond to identical images of a man in which the colour of his T-shirt had been digitally manipulated to show one of three colours – red, blue and grey.

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