Color and emotions

Colors have psychological and physiological effects on people. Here are some moods colors are associated with in the United States. 1

    Blue can be cool, subduing, melancholy, contemplative, sober. It has been associated with cold, sky, water, ice.
    Red can be passionate, exciting, fervid, active. It has been associated with heat, fire, blood.
    Green can be quieting, refreshing, peaceful; but in a different context it can denote illness or guilt. It is often associated with nature.
    Purple can be dignified, pompous, mournful, mystic. It has been asssociated with cool, mist, darkness, shadow.
    Yellow can be cheerful, inspiring, vital, celestial, denoting high spirit and health. It is associated with sunlight.
    Black can be funereal, ominous, deadly, depressing. It has been associated with night, emptiness.

 

But take note that colors have different associations in different cultures. White would be an inappropriate color for a wedding in China. It is the color of mourning. Green is a sacred color to Moslems. 2 The lesson is: Know your audience and do your homework.

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1. Faber Birren. Color Psychology and Color Therapy: A Factual Study of the Influence of Color on Human Life. 
New York. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.
2. Color Matters - The Brain. Color and Culture Matters. Available online at 
<http://www.lava.net/~colorcom/culturematters.html>
Harlen Makemson © 1999 All Rights Reserved. Designed for the students of JOMC 50 Electronic Information Sources in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. All copyrighted material used in this site is intended as fair use for educational purposes only.