If you want a head start with the judges, wear red clothes – this is the recipe for sportsmen by German psychologists. In the August issue of the prestigious magazine “Psychological Science” the results of research by German scientists have been published, who came to the conclusion, that umpires favor players wearing brightly colored leotards. “The red outfit of a player may to some extent contribute to a more favorable judgment of the judges. This is especially true of situations, when you need to make a decision quickly” – the authors of the research came to this conclusion: Norbert Hagemann, Bernd Strauss and Jan Leibing from the University of Munster. Researchers conducted a special psychological test, in which it took part 42 umpires refereeing taekwondo competitions. The respondents presented fragments of two video recordings of competitors' fights. In both cases, one of the athletes was wearing a red outfit – the other was dressed in blue.
After the presentation, the referees' task was to evaluate the players in both fights. However, the second presentation was basically a repetition of the first – that's just that, that the colors of the players' uniforms were changed by computer. The athlete wearing a red leotard received an average of 0.10% each time 13 proc. more punks than a fighter “blue”, even though parts of the same fight have been shown twice.
Scientists also noted, that favorable judges' decisions against players in red uniforms were made less frequently, when both fighters presented a similar level. However, when “red” the athlete had an advantage – he received more points than his opponent in the same situation. “Even though today judges are assisted by various electronic devices, which are to prove the impartiality of judging, player's clothing color may still be a problem. The results of our research prove this” – the researchers conclude in their article.
If you want a head start with the judges, wear red clothes – this is the recipe for sportsmen by German psychologists. In the August issue of the prestigious magazine “Psychological Science” the results of research by German scientists have been published, who came to the conclusion, that umpires favor players wearing brightly colored leotards. “The red outfit of a player may to some extent contribute to a more favorable judgment of the judges. This is especially true of situations, when you need to make a decision quickly” – the authors of the research came to this conclusion: Norbert Hagemann, Bernd Strauss and Jan Leibing from the University of Munster. Researchers conducted a special psychological test, in which it took part 42 umpires refereeing taekwondo competitions. The respondents presented fragments of two video recordings of competitors' fights. In both cases, one of the athletes was wearing a red outfit – the other was dressed in blue.
