Do you associate colors with some emotions or meaning? Does color affect your mood in any way? Most people have reported that color does influence them in some manner. It is called color psychology. Let’s understand it in detail.
Color Psychology
Color is an important part of our lives, and it plays an important role in every aspect. You will find that when making decisions, 90% of the time, it is based on color. Color psychology in essence is the study of colors in relation to human behavior. It studies how color influences our decision making, emotions, feelings, moods, and other things associated with it. While buying clothes, is color an important factor in purchasing the particular item? Yes. Then, there is no denying that color plays an important role in almost everyone’s life.
How do we see colour?
The human eye and brain work together in helping us perceive color. Light is made up of different wavelengths or colors, which white light is the combination of. The back of the eye is a tissue called retina. The retina is made up of different rods and cones. Different rods and cones react to different colors. They convert light into signals and are sent to the brain. This allows you to see colors.
The rods and cones both have different function. Rods allow you to see in low light, while cones are responsible for 100% of colour vision. The loss of any type of cone leads to colour blindness. There are three types of colour blindness- Protanopia, Tritanopia and Achromatopsia. About 8% of men and 1% of women have some form of colour impairment. There is also the opposite where it was found women can see more colours.
In our previous article, we discussed about what is stress and how an individual can identify if themselves.
Meaning of Colours
The traditional colour wheel consists of primary, secondary, and tertiary colours. The primary colours are red, yellow, and blue. All other colours are created by mixing these. The secondary colours are-green, orange, and purple- made by mixing two primary colours. Tertiary colours consist of red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet. The meaning of colour also tends to change in terms of culture.
Red
Red is known to provoke the strongest emotion out of all the colours. It is a warm colour, most commonly associated with love, anger, danger, passion, power, blood. Red is used to indicate danger indirectly in the phrases- “red flag,” “in the red,” “seeing red.” It also increases appetite, enhances metabolism, increases blood pressure. Red represents power, seen when a red carpet is rolled out for dignified personalities. Famous brands such as “Coco-cola” and “YouTube” use red to increase appetite and excitement respectively. In China and India, red is used for good luck, in weddings; while in Russia, it denotes communism. In England, red is associated with phone booths, and in Spain, with bull fighting and flamenco dresses.
Orange
In the age of social media, orange is associated with fall/autumn and Halloween. It is described as energetic, warm, happy, attention-grabbing. It is often used in advertising. The cartoon channel “Nickelodeon” is also orange in colour. In the U.S., orange is associated with prison uniform, Halloween; while in China and Japan, it is for love and happiness. In Buddhism, orange is associated with humility and desire lessness.
Yellow
Yellow is frequently associated with optimism. Another one of the most attention-grabbing colours, it is also very cheerful, summery, intense. Too much yellow is known to cause anxiety, frustration, nervousness, etc. “McDonald’s” and “Burger King” use red and yellow to grab attention. Luxurious brands such as “Ferrari” use yellow to associate it with happiness and carefree attitude. In Egypt, yellow is symbolised as happiness and prosperity. In football, with warning through a yellow card.
Green
Nature is one of the first things that comes to mind when talking about green. It represents money, tranquillity, calmness, motivation, healing, stability. On the other hand, it also represents jealousy, boredom, being sick through the phrase “turning green.” In Islam, Green represent Allah.
Blue
Blue represents calmness, serenity, sincerity. It is found in nature in oceans and sky. It is also frequently associated with masculinity. Blue also can represent icy, cold behaviour, distant, sadness, aloofness, loneliness. It is one of the least appetizing colours used in weight loss. Brands like “Facebook,” “Twitter,” “Skype” use blue to appeal to users. In India, blue is associated with mercy. It represents peace and cooperation in the UN flag.
Purple
Purple is connected to wealth, royalty, wisdom, luxury, spirituality, mystery. It is also a polarizing colour. The brand “Yahoo” uses purple. In Catholicism, purple is connected to penitence, and the colour of lent.
Pink
Pink generally represents femininity. It is the colour of romance, joyfulness, childishness, creativity. It is also refreshing as it is associated with blooming flowers. Pink as a colour is sweet. It can also be thought of as physical weakness, emasculation. “Barbie” uses pink as it represents femininity.
Brown
Brown is dependable, trustworthy, simple. It is the colour of earth and wood. Brown has a sense of reliability and strength. However, it can also denote loneliness, isolation, and sadness. “Hershey’s” uses the colour brown in their marketing.
White
White is associated with clean, simple, innocent, honest, hygiene. It can also be said that it is cold and bland. Often, hospitals are white in colour. It also gives a heightened sense of space. There is a cultural difference in how white will be perceived. In western culture, white represents purity most commonly worn by brides in weddings. While, it is a colour of mourning in India for some religions. The brand “Adidas” uses white with a black background.
Black
Black is formal, sophisticated, secure, and dramatic. It is said to be elegant, and often events are “black tie” themed. In contrast, black can also symbolise anger, sadness and depression. Black is also synonymously used for negative feelings. In some cultures, black is a mourning colour, and also avoided during auspicious days. Chanel and Nike use black and white on their website to maintain consistency.
Grey
Grey represents neutrality, balance, dampness, glum mood. It also has futuristic and industrial appeal. The phrase “grey area” is used to describe indecisiveness. Apple uses grey to appeal to its user.
While different colours have different meanings, it’s perception ultimately depends on various factors such as situation, personal view, motivation, culture, and background. In art therapy, colour is associated with one’s emotions. This information can be used in understanding how we are affected by colours, and how it plays an important role in our decisions, marketing by brand among other things.
References
Can Color Affect Your Mood and Behavior? (2020, May 28). Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/color-psychology-2795824
Ferreira, N. M. (2021, September 30). Color Psychology: How Color Meanings Affect You & Your Brand. OBERLO. https://www.oberlo.in/blog/color-psychology-color-meanings
How Do We See Colour? (2019, July 23). Let’s Talk Science. https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/stem-in-context/how-do-we-see-colour
London Image Institute. (2021, January 28). Color Psychology: How Do Colors Affect Mood & Emotions? https://londonimageinstitute.com/how-to-empower-yourself-with-color-psychology/
Team, A. T. (2016, January 18). Color Meanings | Color Symbolism | Meaning of Colors. Art Therapy. http://www.arttherapyblog.com/online/color-meanings-symbolism/#.YWD8eJpBxPY
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