The effect of red on time perception: a meta-analysis

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.