Abstract
This paper uses a meta-analysis to investigate whether the color red affects people’s perception of time and which factors modulate it. A series of criteria were applied (experimental indicators, experimental tasks) in order to decide which existing studies could be considered eligible for inclusion in the meta-analytic procedure. The identification of research that met the eligibility criteria was carried out with the help of the electronic search function in the following databases: PsycINFO, Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, Wiley Science Solutions, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wan-fang Database. Following this approach left 17 studies and 44 effect sizes (N = 1,716 participants) that were then subjected to the final analysis and included in the meta-analysis.The results showed that: (1) There was a positive, small effect size for the impact of red on time perception, relative to blue or green (d = 0.24). (2) The effect manifested as substantial in instances where the participant group was chiefly comprised of males, the experimental stimuli were presented as a background element, and the evaluated time intervals were of a longer duration, but time perception task, the use of pre-task relaxation, and material characteristic did not moderate the experimental effect.
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The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the present study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Hong, X., Feng, Y., Wang, Z. et al. The effect of red on time perception: a meta-analysis. Curr Psychol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05988-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05988-5