When red means go: Non-normative effects of red under sensation seeking

Ravi Mehta, Joris Demmers, Willemijn M. van Dolen, Charles B. Weinberg

Journal of Consumer Psychology · 2017 · Volume 27 · Issue 1

DOI: 10.1016/j.jcps.2016.04.004

Abstract

Although previous research has identified red as the color of compliance, the current work proposes that this effect of red may not hold under high sensation-seeking propensity conditions. It is argued that the color red has the capability to induce arousal, which in turn has been shown to enhance a person's default tendencies. Further, because high sensation seekers have a higher tendency to react, the exposure to the color red for these individuals will increase reactance and thereby non-compliant behavior. One field study and two lab experiments provide support for this theorizing. The first experiment, a field study, examines prank-chatting incidences at a child helpline and shows a positive effect of red on such non-compliant behavior. Experiment 2 confirms this finding in a controlled lab setting and shows that when one has a high sensation-seeking propensity, the color red positively affects one's attitude towards non-compliance. The final study illuminates the underlying process and explicates the role of arousal and reactance in the color–non-compliance relationship. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Keywords

Color, Non-compliance, Arousal, Sensation seeking, Reactance

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