Color Psychology: The Emotional Effects
of Colors
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This is the last installment of our color therapy series: Psychological Effects of
Color. You can read the previous installments: Color Therapy & Healing, Color
Meanings & Symbolism, and download our free Color Meaning & Symbolism
Charts. For this last installment, we will be exploring the following topics:
1. What is Color Psychology?
2. Applying Color Psychology to Everday Life
3. Psychological Effects of Cool Colors
4. Psychological Effects of Warm Colors
5. Pyschology of Color for Marketing & Advertising
6. Common Psychological Effects of Colors
What is Color Psychology?
The psychology of color is based on the mental and emotional effects colors
have on sighted people in all facets of life. There are some very subjective
pieces to color psychology as well as some more accepted and proven
elements. Keep in mind, that there will also be variations in interpretation,
meaning, and perception between different cultures.
Applying Color Psychology to Everday Life
Did you know your surroundings may be influencing your emotions and state of
mind? Do you ever notice that certain places especially irritate you? Or that
certain places are especially relaxing and calming? Well, there’s a good chance
that the colors in those spaces are playing a part.
In art therapy, color is often associated with a person’s emotions. Color may
also influence a person’s mental or physical state. For example, studies have
shown that some people looking at the color red resulted in an increased heart
rate, which then led to additional adrenaline being pumped into the blood
stream. You can learn more about how color therapy works and how light and
color might affect us.
There are also commonly noted psychological effects of color as it relates to
two main categories: warm and cool. Warm colors – such as red, yellow and
orange – can spark a variety of emotions ranging from comfort and warmth to
hostility and anger. Cool colors – such as green, blue and purple – often spark
feelings of calmness as well as sadness.
The concepts of color psychology can also be applied in everyday life. For
example, maybe you’re planning on re-painting your walls or redecorating a
house or room with a new color scheme. Well, you might want to consider some
of these suggestions about colors and how they might affect your emotions and
mood:
Psychological Effects of Cool Colors
Need to be creative? Want help getting those brain synapses firing? Try
utilizing the color purple. Purple utilizes both red and blue to provide a nice
balance between stimulation and serenity that is supposed to encourage
creativity. Light purple is said to result in a peaceful surrounding, thus relieving
tension. These could be great colors for a home or business office.
Are you looking for a peaceful and calming environment? You might consider
using green and/or blue. These cool colors are typically considered restful.
There is actually a bit of scientific logic applied to this – because the eye
focuses the color green directly on the retina, it is said to be less strainful on
your eye muscles.
The color blue is suggested for high-traffic rooms or rooms that you or other
people will spend significant amounts of time. Another cool color, blue is
typically a calming and serene color, said to decrease respiration and lower
blood pressure. The bedroom is a great place to use these colors as they
should help you relax.
Psychological Effects of Warm Colors
Want to create an environment of stimulation or whet people’s appetite? You
might consider utilizing the colors yellow or orange. These colors are often
associated with food and can cause your tummy to growl a little. Have you ever
wondered why so many restaurants use these colors? Now you know why even
after people watched the movie SuperSize Me, they said they were hungry.
You do want to be careful about using bright colors like orange and especially
yellow. They reflect more light and excessively stimulate a person’s eyes which
can lead to irritation. You also probably don’t want to paint your dining room or
kitchen these colors if you’re a calorie-counter.
Pyschology of Color for Marketing & Advertising
Marketing and advertising are well-known for utilizing color psychology. The fact
that some companies have heavily invested in this type of research and many
others have followed through in its use shows they have at enough belief in the
concepts of color psychology to implement them in their advertising.
Color is consistently used in an attempt to make people hungry, associate a
positive or negative tone, encourage trust, feelings of calmness or energy, and
countless other ways.
Most marketing and advertising executives will likely agree that there are
benefits to understanding and utilizing the psychological effects of colors. Now
let’s take a look at some of the more common traits of color psychology, by
some common colors.
Common Psychological Effects of Colors
The following are some common psychological effects of colors in the Western
Hemisphere. You can also review the following pages for a
more comprehensive list of color meanings and symbolism, including
some charts we’ve created that you can download or embed on your site.
Keep in mind that certain shades or tones may result in very different meanings.
Also, the context around the color, and even surrounding colors, can have an
effect. Think of this as more of a beginning guide to color psychology.
Color Psychology: The Color White
purity
innocence
cleanliness
sense of space
neutrality
mourning (in some cultures/societies)
Color Psychology: The Color Black
authority
power
strength
evil
intelligence
thinning / slimming
death or mourning
Color Psychology: The Color Gray
neutral
timeless
practical
Color Psychology: The Color Red
love
romance
gentle
warmth
comfort
energy
excitement
intensity
life
blood
Color Psychology: The Color Orange
happy
energetic
excitement
enthusiasm
warmth
wealth prosperity
sophistication
change
stimulation
Color Psychology: The Color Yellow
happiness
laughter
cheery
warmth
optimism
hunger
intensity
frustration
anger
attention-getting
Color Psychology: The Color Green
natural
cool
growth
money
health
envy
tranquility
harmony
calmness
fertility
Color Psychology: The Color Blue
calmness
serenity
cold
uncaring
wisdom
loyalty
truth
focused
un-appetizing
Color Psychology: The Color Purple
royalty
wealth
sophistication
wisdom
exotic
spiritual
prosperity
respect
mystery
Color Psychology: The Color Brown
reliability
stability
friendship
sadness
warmth
comfort
security
natural
organic
mourning (in some cultures/societies)
Color Psychology: The Color Pink
romance
love
gentle
calming
agitation
