Biological components of sex differences in color preference

This study uncovers a robust sex difference in color preference using a rapid, forced-choice task with 208 participants (171 British, 37 Chinese, aged 20-26). Participants selected preferred colors from pairs of rectangles, revealing distinct hue preference curves: females favored reddish-purple hues, peaking sharply, while males leaned toward blue-green with less intensity. Preference was decomposed into two neural dimensions—S–(L+M) (blue-yellow) and L–M (red-green)—explaining 70% of variance. Females consistently weighted L–M positively (reddish contrasts, p < 0.00001), males negatively, while both sexes preferred bluish contrasts, with females weighting S–(L+M) higher (p < 0.00001). Female preferences were more stable over time (p < 0.002) and varied more across hues (p < 0.00001). The authors link this to evolutionary roles: females, as gatherers, may have honed trichromacy for detecting red fruit against green, or for reading social signals via skin tone. Reaction times (males 1.26s, females 1.33s, p < 0.00001) favored bluish hues. Cultural influences, like China’s red “luck” association, modulated preferences, but sensory encoding primarily drives these sex-specific patterns, suggesting an innate, evolved basis.