How Colors Affect Our Emotions

Let’s explore the fascinating science of color meaning and the impact colors have on our lives.

Color meanings are the symbolic associations we attach to different colors. These associations can vary depending on culture, context, and even personal experience. However, some general meanings hold across many cultures (Tham et al., 2020).

Red

Red is usually considered a powerful color. It’s associated with intense emotions ranging from love and passion to anger. Research shows that the color red often evokes negative reactions in people such as a sense of threat and danger (Piotrowski & Armstrong, 2012). This isn’t surprising since it’s also associated with blood. The sense of urgency it provokes makes it a popular choice for warning signs and emergency signals.

At the same time, especially in Western cultures, red is linked to warmth and love. Think of a red heart on Valentine's Day. This may be partly because red has been found to have physiological effects. When people are exposed to the color red, it can lead to increased heart rate and blood pressure, enhanced metabolism, improved performance, and increased alertness (Al-Ayash et al., 2016).​ Here are some other meanings of the color red:

●     Energy: The color signifies vitality and vigor, often evoking a sense of enthusiasm and excitement.

●     Power: Red is linked to strength and dominance, making it a favorite choice for authority figures and brands wanting to convey confidence.

●     Heat: Red symbolizes heat and can evoke feelings of coziness or comfort.

●     Action: It encourages movement and can stimulate quick decision-making or responses.

Orange​

The color orange is universally associated with heat (Tham et al., 2020).  Like the color red, it also has both positive and negative meanings depending on the context and cultural associations. Here's a breakdown of some of the most common:

●     Optimism and enthusiasm: Orange, with its vibrant hue, is often associated with feelings of joy, excitement, and warmth. It can evoke a sense of positivity and hope for the future.

●     Energy and creativity: Orange is a stimulating color that can inspire action and motivation. It's often linked to creativity, self-expression, and a sense of adventure.

●     Sociability and friendliness: Orange is seen as a welcoming and approachable color. It can promote feelings of community, belonging, and social connection.

●     Warmth and comfort: The warmer shades of orange, like peach and terra-cotta, can evoke comfort, security, and coziness. They can be associated with home, family, and a sense of belonging.

Yellow

The color yellow is often associated with a variety of positive attributes and emotions. It’s commonly linked to warmth and friendliness, evoking feelings of cheerfulness and energy, much like the sunlight that brightens a day. Yellow is seen as a welcoming and approachable color, symbolizing communication and social interaction. For example, you might see restaurants that use yellow tablecloths to encourage conversation or brands that incorporate yellow into their logos to convey friendliness and approachability. Here are some other things yellow symbolizes:

●     Happiness and optimism: Yellow is often associated with warmth and laughter. It evokes feelings of joy, cheerfulness, and hope (Kurt & Osueke, 2014).

●     Creativity: The color yellow is often linked to creativity and inspiration, probably because it’s considered stimulating (Kurt & Osueke, 2014).

●     Wisdom and knowledge: In some cultures, yellow represents wisdom, intellect, and learning.

●     Caution and warning: Yellow is often used as a cautionary color associated with traffic lights, hazard signs, and warnings of potential danger.

Green

The color green is often associated with nature, symbolizing growth, renewal, and life. It evokes feelings of tranquility and calmness, reflecting the lush landscapes and forests that thrive in the natural world. Green is also linked to health and vitality, representing freshness and the idea of new beginnings, as seen in springtime when plants and flowers bloom. Here are some other meanings:

●     Creativity: Research suggests that being exposed to the color green facilitates creativity (Lichtenfeld et al., 2012).

●     Growth: In many cultures, green symbolizes things associated with growth such as fertility, life, and hope. It can symbolize new beginnings; during the Middle Ages, green was even used for wedding dresses (Lichtenfeld et al., 2012).

●     Jealousy or envy: On a more negative note, green can be associated with jealousy or envy. This symbolism is often seen in phrases like "green with envy."

●     Relaxation: Green is thought to have a calming and restful effect on the eyes and mind. It’s often used in interior design to create spaces that promote relaxation.

Blue

Blue is most often associated with calm and relaxation. This may be because blue lies at the shorter end of the visible light spectrum, meaning its photons have less energy than other colors of light. This triggers a physiological response in our bodies, lowering heart rate and blood pressure and slowing breathing, thus promoting calmness (Mental Health America, 2023). This is why blue light is often used in therapy and relaxation settings. In addition, studies have shown that blue environments can improve concentration and productivity, while exposure to blue light can even lower blood pressure. Here are some other associations:

●     Peace and tranquility: Evoking the calming vastness of the sky and ocean, blue often symbolizes serenity, inner peace, and tranquility. It can induce feelings of relaxation and mental clarity, making it a popular choice for meditation spaces and calming environments. 

●     Trust and loyalty: Blue is often associated with reliability, honesty, and faithfulness. It represents a sense of security and dependability, making it a common color for uniforms and branding associated with authority and trust.

●     Intelligence and wisdom: Deep shades of blue, like navy and indigo, are often linked to intelligence, wisdom, and intuition. They convey a sense of depth and introspection, making them popular choices for academic institutions and intellectual pursuits.

●     Sadness and melancholy: Blue can also symbolize sadness, depression, and melancholy. The phrase "feeling blue" captures this association, and darker shades of blue can evoke feelings of loneliness and introspective sorrow.

Purple

The color purple is often associated with a variety of meanings and symbolism that span across cultures and contexts. Purple is frequently associated with spirituality and mysticism, as it can evoke a sense of introspection and contemplation; many spiritual leaders and practices incorporate this color to signify a higher state of consciousness. Here are some other meanings of the color purple:

●     Royalty and luxury: From emperors' robes to precious dyes, purple evokes grandeur and opulence. This is likely because historically, purple pigments were rare and expensive, so this color was reserved for emperors and elites.

●     Creativity: Purple is also considered a creative color, associated with imagination and artistic expression.

●     Wisdom and dignity: In some cultures, purple is associated with wisdom and dignity. It can represent a sense of authority and respect.

●     Balance: In color psychology, purple is sometimes associated with qualities like balance, calmness, and stability.

In Sum

Although it’s pretty easy to appreciate the beauty and enrichment that color brings to our lives, we often underestimate its power. Colors impact our emotions, convey messages, and play a significant role in shaping our perceptions and experiences. Whether it's the calming influence of blue, the passionate energy of red, or the balance embodied by green, each hue carries a nuanced significance. Understanding the psychology behind colors empowers us to make informed choices in various aspects of life, from personal branding to interior design. It can even help us lift our mood!​

References

●     Al‐Ayash, A., Kane, R. T., Smith, D., & Green‐Armytage, P. (2016). The influence of color on student emotion, heart rate, and performance in learning environments. Color Research & Application, 41(2), 196–205.

●     Mental Health America. (2023). How do colors in my home change my mood? Color psychology explained. https://mhanational.org/surroundings/color-psychology-explained

●     Kurt, S., & Osueke, K. K. (2014). The effects of color on the moods of college students. Sage Open, 4(1), 2158244014525423.

●     Lichtenfeld, S., Elliot, A. J., Maier, M. A., & Pekrun, R. (2012). Fertile green: Green facilitates creative performance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38(6), 784–797.

●     Piotrowski, C., & Armstrong, T. (2012). Color Red: Implications for applied psychology and marketing research. Psychology and Education: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 49, 55–57.

●     Tham, D. S. Y., Sowden, P. T., Grandison, A., Franklin, A., Lee, A. K. W., Ng, M., . . . & Zhao, J. (2020). A systematic investigation of conceptual color associations. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 149(7), 1311.