Today, when I am reading news about Olympics on web, I found an interesting news. China, who dressed completely in red, came out winning an astounding 51 gold medals, and the top 10 overall medal winning countries all include red in their national colors.
Wearing the color red is really more favorable in athletics.
Theory behind:
"There are two kinds of cells in you eyes that are responsible for interpreting light: rods and cones. Rods are responsible for seeing at night, only taking in a narrow range of light (only white), and making it possible to see light at a greater distance. Where as cones recognize a wider range making it possible for humans to recognize color. Many animals, including other mammals, see in different ranges of the light spectrum than humans. Our ability to see in the shorter lengths was developed by primates whose vision adapted to see red, outdoing their lemur relatives who could only see green and blue. And because it was developed as a survival skill -- picking out ripe fruits, those that contain a higher energy value, red has become immediately recognizable to us."
Besides, researchers also have found that referees favor those who wear red.
In another study done during the 2004 Olympic games anthropologists surveyed four sports showing competitors were more likely to win their contests if they wore red uniforms or red body armor.
"Across a range of sports, we find that wearing red is consistently associated with a higher probability of winning," report Russell A. Hill and Robert A. Barton of the University of Durham in England.
The anthropologists made a preliminary analysis of the Euro 2004 international soccer tournament, in which teams wore jerseys of different colors in different matches. They found that five teams scored more goals and won more often when they wore shirts that were predominantly red, as opposed to blue or white jerseys.
A case can perhaps be made that most of the recent (article originally published 5/19/2005) winners of U.S. sports championships have at least a touch of red on their uniforms: among pro teams, the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, the Detroit Pistons. And in college football, Southern California.
- USA Today
Other examples
Red's Dominance In Sports
Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Bulls
Manchester United
For me, I personally do believe in this interesting theory. In line with what we have learnt, color is associated with psychology and emotions. However, in the case of the Olympics, it's probably a more important factor that China was competing on the "home court," which is always an advantage. This is clearly demonstrated over the history of the modern Olympics.
