Forget candlelit dinners, bouquets of flowers and endless compliments.

The way to a woman’s heart lies in wearing a red shirt, it seems.

A chap becomes instantly more desirable to the opposite sex if he has on a scarlet shirt or crimson tie, research shows..

Even a pair of pillar-box red socks could do the trick. The finding could help explain the appeal of Tiger Woods, who sports the colour on the final day of a golf tournament.

And a red suit may have helped Muse singer Matt Bellamy

Photo:One of the photos used in the study, (with the faces in focus) which worked out that the men in red are seen as more attractive by women

The researchers showed women from around the world, including some Britons, pictures of a ‘moderately attractive’ man.

The photos had been doctored to show him wearing shirts of different colours or standing against several backgrounds.

Others were framed in various colours. A dash of red led to the man being viewed as more attractive and desirable. He was also seen as having a higher social status, the Journal of Experimental Psychology reported.

Researcher Andrew Elliot, of Rochester University in the U.S., said that red is associated with power, passion and fertility in the animal kingdom – and people are no different.

‘This suggests that women’s thoughts and feelings toward men are, at least in part, primitive,’ he said.

‘The question “What do women want?” with regard to sexual attraction and desire has puzzled men and scholars for many years.

‘Our research suggests that the answer may be more provocative, than anticipated.’

Wearing red may also make a man feel more self-assured.

Dr Elliot added: ‘The red shirt that Tiger Woods adorns on the final day of golf tournaments likely provides him with a confidence-boosting reminder of his alpha status in the golf world as it simultaneously reminds his competitors they are probably facing another long day.’

Red is also associated with dominance on the football pitch, with previous research finding that teams wearing red strips win more matches.

Its association with dominance and aggression may enhance players’ game. Or perhaps red shirts are simply easier to see, improving their accuracy of passing.