Color psychology is the study of color as a determinant of human behavior. However, the interface between color and environmental stimuli is a highly complex interface and one which is open to the influence of a large number of factors. There are several reasons why colors are able to influence how we feel. "We react on multiple levels of association with colors -- there are social or culture levels as well as personal relationships with particular colors," explains Leslie Harrington, executive director of The Color Association of The United States, which forecasts color trends. "You also have an innate reaction to color. For example, when you look at red, it does increase your heart rate. It is a stimulating color. This goes back to caveman days of fire and danger and alarm."
There are four psychological primary colors - red, blue, yellow and green. They relate respectively to the body, the mind, the emotions and the essential balance between these three.
Investigate comprehensively on how colors affect different people, either individually or as a group, is something some people build their careers on. And there’s a lot to it. Something as simple as changing the exact hue or saturation of a color can evoke a completely different feeling. Cultural differences mean that something that’s happy and uplifting in one country can be depressing in another.
For example, in China, red is the color of prosperity and happiness. It can also be used to attract good luck. In other eastern cultures, red is worn by brides on their wedding days. In South Africa, however, red is the color of mourning. Red is also associated with communism. Red has become the color associated with AIDS awareness in Africa due to the popularity of the [RED] campaign.
There are four psychological primary colors - red, blue, yellow and green. They relate respectively to the body, the mind, the emotions and the essential balance between these three.
Investigate comprehensively on how colors affect different people, either individually or as a group, is something some people build their careers on. And there’s a lot to it. Something as simple as changing the exact hue or saturation of a color can evoke a completely different feeling. Cultural differences mean that something that’s happy and uplifting in one country can be depressing in another.
For example, in China, red is the color of prosperity and happiness. It can also be used to attract good luck. In other eastern cultures, red is worn by brides on their wedding days. In South Africa, however, red is the color of mourning. Red is also associated with communism. Red has become the color associated with AIDS awareness in Africa due to the popularity of the [RED] campaign.
The Psychological Effects of Color
While perceptions of color are somewhat subjective, there are some color effects that have universal meaning. Colors in the red area of the color spectrum are known as warm colors and include red, orange and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility.
Colors on the blue side of the spectrum are known as cool colors and include blue, purple and green. These colors are often described as calm, but can also call to mind feelings of sadness or indifference.
Color Psychology as Therapy
Several ancient cultures, including the Egyptians and Chinese, practiced chromotherapy, or the use of colors to heal. Chromotherapy is sometimes referred to as light therapy or colourology and is still used today as a holistic or alternative treatment.
In this treatment:
Red was used to stimulate the body and mind and to increase circulation.
Yellow was thought to stimulate the nerves and purify the body.
Orange was used to heal the lungs and to increase energy levels.
Blue was believed to soothe illnesses and treat pain.
Indigo shades were thought to alleviate skin problems.
Experts have found that while color can have an influence on how we feel and act, these effects are subject to personal, cultural, and situational factors. More scientific research is needed to gain a better understanding of color psychology.
Four Psychological Primary Colours
While perceptions of color are somewhat subjective, there are some color effects that have universal meaning. Colors in the red area of the color spectrum are known as warm colors and include red, orange and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility.
Colors on the blue side of the spectrum are known as cool colors and include blue, purple and green. These colors are often described as calm, but can also call to mind feelings of sadness or indifference.
Color Psychology as Therapy
Several ancient cultures, including the Egyptians and Chinese, practiced chromotherapy, or the use of colors to heal. Chromotherapy is sometimes referred to as light therapy or colourology and is still used today as a holistic or alternative treatment.
In this treatment:
Red was used to stimulate the body and mind and to increase circulation.
Yellow was thought to stimulate the nerves and purify the body.
Orange was used to heal the lungs and to increase energy levels.
Blue was believed to soothe illnesses and treat pain.
Indigo shades were thought to alleviate skin problems.
Experts have found that while color can have an influence on how we feel and act, these effects are subject to personal, cultural, and situational factors. More scientific research is needed to gain a better understanding of color psychology.
Four Psychological Primary Colours
In colour psychology, red, yellow, blue, and green are considered as the primary colours. These colours represent body, emotion, mind, and the essential interdependence and harmony between these three elements, respectively.
Red, with its extended wavelength, is considered a strong colour, hence its association with physical aptitude. Although it is not the most vibrant of colours, red has the capacity to seem closer to a particular observer than it actually is, therefore scoring high when it comes to attention attraction.
Red has the capacity to trigger physical responses from human beings and this is the reason why it has been employed to serve utilitarian purposes like the traffic light signal for stop. This colour is also deemed masculine and is said to awaken a person’s fight or flight instinct. Some of red’s positive attributes include augmented sense of enthusiasm, warmth, and energy. The less favourable attributes are stress, hostility, and insubordination.
Red, with its extended wavelength, is considered a strong colour, hence its association with physical aptitude. Although it is not the most vibrant of colours, red has the capacity to seem closer to a particular observer than it actually is, therefore scoring high when it comes to attention attraction.
Red has the capacity to trigger physical responses from human beings and this is the reason why it has been employed to serve utilitarian purposes like the traffic light signal for stop. This colour is also deemed masculine and is said to awaken a person’s fight or flight instinct. Some of red’s positive attributes include augmented sense of enthusiasm, warmth, and energy. The less favourable attributes are stress, hostility, and insubordination.
I have personally thought about why colour red could associate with physical aptitude, as back in the old time when there was no discover of electricity, people used to set up fire for light at night, it brightens the darkness and informs the other tribe of people that there is others and be alert! Fire keeps humans warm which attributes the sense of enthusiasm, warmth and energy.
Human emotion is directly associated with the colour yellow. Colour psychology characterizes yellow as a potent emotional stimulator, with its considerably long wavelength.
Positive thinking and confidence are just some of the human attributes inspired by this colour, but, people who play around this chrome have to ensure utmost discernment since its improper usage, relative to the other shades from the colour wheel, can yield undesirable effects.
Some of the negativities that misuse of the colour yellow can induce include; apprehension, terror, intense sadness, irrational thinking, and emotional vulnerability.
Once properly managed, though, yellow can just as easily speak of unrivalled self-esteem, congeniality, optimism, and even artistry.
When we look at twilight when and where the sun sets, the beauty or somehow the colour of sunset (yellow) brings us lots of emotions that could be the memories that's happened before, or the feelings of beautiful nature appreciation.
Human intellect, from the perspective of colour psychology, manifests all known shades of blue. This calming colour has the capacity to rouse us intellectually. Potent shades of blue inspire clarity of thought, whereas the softer variants allow utmost mental focus and serenity of the mind.
Blue has been generally perceived as an endearing colour. In various cultures from all over the world, this chrome has gained a rather positive interpretation. It goes without saying, though, that blue also has its own negative associations such as coldness, isolation, and emotional unavailability.
When it's sunny during the day time, the sky will be blue, sunny weather leads human moods to a positive state. Blue sky is also a pure sky that has its clarity.
Green is, arguably the most germane of all the primary colours in colour psychology. It facilitates the harmony between the other chromes: red, yellow, and blue. Visually, green is able to emanate a striking appearance without being overly imposing, hence observers can enjoy it in all possible shades or tones.
On a primordial level, humankind is endeared to green due primarily to its abundance in nature. It speaks of not only prosperity, but also harmony. However, it is imperative to keep in mind that misuse of this colour can inspire a sense of atrophy related to boredom and stagnation.
Color as Emotion
A knowledge of color theory helps us to express our feelings in an artwork. The language of color has even entered our vocabulary to help us describe our emotions. You can be ‘red’ with rage or ‘green’ with envy. We often speak of bright cheerful colors as well as sad or dull ones. A ‘grey’ day may be depressing and result in a feeling of the ‘blues’.
VINCENT VAN GOGH (1853-1890) 'Sunflowers', 1888 (oil on canvas)
Hope and Joy: The paintings of Vincent Van Gogh show an instinctive understanding of the emotive properties of color. In this version of 'Sunflowers' from the National Gallery in London, he uses warm yellows to create an energetic image that radiates feelings of hope and joy. On the gallery wall this painting is surrounded by a thick dark brown frame and glows like a backlit image from within.
PABLO PICASSO (1881-1873) 'The Tragedy', 1903 (oil on canvas)
Sadness and Despair: Another effective use of emotive color is found in the paintings of Pablo Picasso. Between 1901 and 1904, Picasso painted in monochrome tones of blue which reflected his low psychological state. This was triggered by the death of his friend, the Spanish painter Carlos Casagemas, who shot himself because of his unrequited love for the artists' model Germaine Pichot. This chapter of his work became known as his 'blue period'. In 'The Tragedy' (1903) he uses cool blues to evoke the chill of sadness and despair in a typically gloomy subject from this period.
According to English dictionary, blue has a few of definitions, one of them states: informal
(of a person or mood) melancholy, sad, or depressed. "he's feeling blue"
ANDRÉ DERAIN (1880-1954) 'The Pool of London', 1906 (oil on canvas)
Noise and Activity: André Derain uses the clash between contrasting warm and cool colors to express the noise and activity of this busy dockyard. He creates the illusion of depth in the painting by using warmer colors in the foreground which gradually become cooler towards the background. This organized arrangement of colors in a landscape is called Aerial Perspective.
Rainbow Color
Rainbows form a significant part of human culture. They occur frequently in mythology, and have been used in the arts. One of the earliest literary occurrences of a rainbow is in Genesis 9, as part of the flood story of Noah, where it is a sign of God's covenant to never destroy all life on earth with a global flood again. Rainbow flags have been used as a symbol of hope or social change for centuries, featuring as a symbol of the Cooperative movement in the German Peasants' War in the 16th century, as a symbol of peace in Italy, and as a symbol of gay pride and LGBT social movements since the 1970s. In 1994, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and President Nelson Mandela described newly democratic post-apartheid South Africa as the rainbow nation.
In Greco-Roman mythology, the rainbow was considered to be a path made by a messenger (Iris) between Earth and Heaven. Rainbows are generally described as very colourful and peaceful. The rainbow occurs often in paintings.
Peter Coffin's Untitled (Rainbow), 2005
Ugo Rondinone's Hell, Yes!, 2001
In contemporary visual art, the rainbow often appears as well, notably in Peter Coffin's Untitled (Rainbow), 2005, and in Ugo Rondinone's Hell, Yes!, 2001. Like many other cultural references to the rainbow, these either emphasize the possible sublimity of the natural world or the cheerfulness, joy, and celebration often culturally associated with a profusion of colors.
Image resource from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/colors-of-the-rainbow-and-their-meaning.html
Our main source of light on this planet is the sun.
We are naturally driven by the energy of sunlight - it provides warmth, growth for food, ability to cook that food, and much more - the sun's energy is vital to our quality of life on a daily basis.
The sun drives our world and dictates much of our behavior. The rising sun stimulates activity and a state of alertness, while the blue light of evening brings on relaxation, and finally full darkness indicates a natural time to sleep for most people.
One of the benefits we receive from the sun's rays is the energy produced when light waves become color!
Emotionally we respond to colors as they fit the time of day or year. The reduction of sunlight on a cloudy day or the long months of winter can significantly affect our emotions. Lack of sunlight can cause mood swings, depression, low energy level. Most of us notice a fresh, cheerful, vibrant feeling when Spring arrives after a long dark winter.
The seven color rays are spiritual forces emanating from the white light. They are perpetually vibrating - not only on the surface of the earth - but also above and through it, encircling the globe in streams of endless energy.
Color Culture and Meanings
The colour red appears the emotions of being optimistic, dynamic, energising, sexy, intense, powerful, energetic and dangerous. In Asian culture, colour red may have the meaning of prosperity, purity and joy; in Mexican culture, colour red may have the meaning of power; in the USA colour red may have the meaning of life-lover.
The colour blue has the meanings of truth, healing, tranquility, stability, peace, harmony/loyalty, wisdom, trust/protection, calm/security and confidence. In Asian culture, colour blue may have the meaning of immortality; In Mexican culture, colour blue may be the meaning of purity; In the USA, colour blue may be the meaning of hope.
The colour purple has the meanings of spirituality, royalty, mystery, wisdom, transformation, independence, enlightenment, respect and wealth. In Asian culture, purple colour may have the meaning of royalty; in Mexican culture, purple colour may have the meaning of mystery; in the USA, purple colour may have the meaning of friendly.
The colour orange has the meanings of ambition, fun, happy, energetic, balance, warmth, enthusiasm, generosity, vibrant and deals. In Asian culture, orange colour may have the meanings of earth and strength; in Mexican culture, orange colour may have the meanings of fresh and energy; in the USA, orange colour may have the meaning of warm.
The colour pink has the meanings of love, romance, softness, delicacy, friendship, sweetness, tenderness, fidelity and compassion. In Asian culture, pink colour may have the meanings of trust and feminine; in Mexico, pink colour may have the meanings of girls and feminine; in the USA, pink colour may have the meanings of beauty and feminine.
The colour green has the meanings of nature, envy, healing, fertility, good luck, hope, stability, success and generosity. In Asian culture, green colour may have the meaning of nature; in Mexican culture, green colour may have the meaning of money; in the USA, green colour may have the meaning of success.
The colour yellow has the meanings of cheer, joy, action, optimism, happiness, idealism, summer/sunshine, hope, imagination/youth and philosophy. In Asian culture, yellow colour may have the meaning of intelligence; in Mexican culture, yellow colour may have the meaning of mourning; in the USA, yellow colour may have the meaning of happiness.
Stages of Death
My cat who was also my best friend and family had passed away a few days ago, I didn't accept his death well in the beginning, my feelings and thoughts were a mess, I didn't know what I was thinking and feeling. Maybe I was thinking and feeling so many things at one time so it makes everything a mess. I felt lost, I couldn't burry him and my pain, I kept weeping. Knowing the truth that he doesn't exist in our world anymore gives me lots of memories of him, I memorise pretty much everything and every moment that I had spent with him; and this memorising process makes me feel more and more sad.
Later on the day I lost him, I had watched this video on Youtube, it's about the 5 stages when facing to death and loss. You can watch it below:
Stages of Death
My cat who was also my best friend and family had passed away a few days ago, I didn't accept his death well in the beginning, my feelings and thoughts were a mess, I didn't know what I was thinking and feeling. Maybe I was thinking and feeling so many things at one time so it makes everything a mess. I felt lost, I couldn't burry him and my pain, I kept weeping. Knowing the truth that he doesn't exist in our world anymore gives me lots of memories of him, I memorise pretty much everything and every moment that I had spent with him; and this memorising process makes me feel more and more sad.
Later on the day I lost him, I had watched this video on Youtube, it's about the 5 stages when facing to death and loss. You can watch it below:
Stage 1: Denial, when my best friend wasn't able to breath well and even stand up, I deeply knew that he couldn't make it on that day anymore, but I denied what I deeply knew, instead I kept telling my best to hold up and not to leave us alone, a part of me at that moment still believed that he could still survive from the pain he was suffering and death would not take him away from me.
Stage 2: Anger, I hated the vets who couldn't save my best friend, even though the vet tried their best, I still blamed for what they couldn't have achieved and I had an enormous hatred of their low ability.
Stage 3: Bargaining, I prayed and begged god (even though I am not a very religious person) not to take my best friend away, I kept hoping that my best friend will recover and heal and come back to that healthy cat and I kept hoping that he will survive from his sickness.
Stage 4: Depression, after my best friend's funeral, I got home and snapped, started roaring with weep and tears. I could not accept that one of my family was gone and no longer living with us.
Stage 5: Acceptance, it's been 3 days since my friend had left, I started crying less and less, accepting the truth that he had gone to paradise living in peace, even though there's something missing and makes me feel empty. But what happened had already happened, I just have to learn to accept, move on and remember to smile.
Emotion of Sadness
Sadness is emotional pain associated with, or characterized by feelings of disadvantage, loss, despair, helplessness and sorrow. An individual experiencing sadness may become quiet or lethargic, and withdraw themselves from others. Crying is often an indication of sadness.
Sadness is one of the "six basic emotions" described by Paul Ekman, along with happiness, anger, surprise, fear and disgust. Sadness* is a common experience in childhood. Acknowledging such emotions can make it easier for families to address more serious emotional problems, although some families may have a (conscious or unconscious) rule that sadness is "not allowed”. Robin Skynner has suggested that this may cause problems, because with sadness "screened-off" we are left a bit shallow and manic.While being one of the moods people most want to shake, sadness can sometimes be perpetuated by the very coping strategies chosen, such as ruminating, "drowning one's sorrows", or permanently isolating oneself. As alternative ways of coping with sadness to the above, cognitive behavioral therapy suggests instead either challenging one's negative thoughts, or scheduling some positive event as a distraction.
Reference
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T. Berry Brazleton, To Listen to a Child (1992) p. 46 and p. 48
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Emily Gems, Color Meaning: Seven Rays of Rainbow http://crystal-cure.com/color-emotions2.html
Color Theory Lessons: Color as Emotion http://www.artyfactory.com/color_theory/color_theory_3.htm
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