The psychology of colors analyzes how we perceive and behave before different colors. As well as the emotions that these tones arouse in us.
There are certain subjective aspects to the psychology of colour, as there are certain variations in interpretation and meaning between cultures. Nevertheless, there are certain accepted principles that we will review in this article:
Color psychology: influence on emotions and state of mind
Did you know that the colors around you can influence your emotions and your state of mind? Did you know that certain shades can irritate you or, so, relax and calm you down? Well, you should know that the colors around you can have an effect on you.
This statement is not new. In fact, most of the companies design their logos taking into account the colors they use. Because this way they send one message or another to the consumer.
When you decorate a store you also value the colors you use, because it is almost a necessity that people feel the desire to buy when they are in the store.
But it is not only the psychology of colour that is used to make an economic profit. In art therapy, colour is associated with a person’s emotions and is a way of influencing the patient’s physical and mental state.
For example, studies have shown that red increases the heart rate. This causes an increase in adrenaline and makes individuals feel energetic and enthusiastic.
How affects the colors’ psychology in our daily life?
Since we are all familiar with these concepts, color psychology is used in everyday life. For example, when you paint your house and consider what colors you want for your home because you are going to spend many hours in there.
When you do that, you usually consider how the different shades will make you feel: an elegant grey for the living room? a green kitchen that is associated with spring and freshness? Maybe you like yoga and meditation and want a white room because you know it has a relaxing effect.
These are just a few examples of how we employ the psychology of colour almost without realising it.
Color Psychology In Marketing
Marketing is one of the areas where color psychology is most applied. We believe that the decisions we make when buying are based on rational analysis, but, on many occasions, our emotions are the ones that decide for us.
However, there are a large number of studies that show the importance of emotions in our decisions. According to the Color Marketing Group, a company specializing in the use of colors, almost 85% of the reasons a person chooses one product over another have to do with color perception.
Brands try to take advantage of this and treat the heart of the customer through the senses. Did you know that red stimulates the appetite?
So it’s not surprising that well-known fast-food chains such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Coca-Cola, KFC or Wendy’s use this color in their logos and facilities.
The symbolism of colors is certainly ambiguous and sometimes not fully accepted in the scientific field. As already mentioned, color has many readings depending on the context.
Nevertheless, we will now identify the most important colours with their more or less accepted meanings (at least in the West).
In Western cultures (and also in some Eastern ones, such as Hindu), the colour white represents purity and innocence, as well as cleanliness, peace and virtue. In Eastern and African cultures it is the colour of death: the pure soul that leaves.
Yellow represents light and gold. It is usually related to happiness, wealth, power, abundance, strength and action. However, researchers consider it to be one of the most ambiguous colors, as it also represents envy, anger and betrayal. The excessive presence of yellow can irritate a person.
Red is associated with stimulation, passion, strength, revolution, virility and danger. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that red is the color of blood, which we also associate with a certain notion of vitality, aggressiveness and extreme sensations. It is one of the colours with the greatest consensus among experts.
Orange is associated with enthusiasm and action. It can also be related to lust and sensuality, to the divine and exaltation. In the world of political marketing, it is often said that orange is the most optimistic colour of all.
Blue is the color of the sky and water, and represents tranquility, freshness and intelligence. In the world of marketing it is used in many logos such as Facebook or Twitter. It is an elegant and corporate color, one of the most used by companies. It transmits confidence and purity.
Green represents youth, hope and new life, but it also represents action and ecology. Interior designers agree that a room painted in a soft green colour encourages relaxation and well-being.
Purple is highly valued in the marketing world, as it represents sophistication and elegance. Moreover, this colour is often associated with mystery, nostalgia and spirituality. It is a colour widely used in anti-ageing products, precisely because of the glamorous touch it gives off.
Pink is a colour with well-defined attributes: it is the colour of sweetness, delicacy, friendship and pure love. Our cultural heritage also associates it with the feminine.
Grey has somewhat different connotations depending on the culture. While some people perceive this color as indetermination or mediocrity, experts in color psychology give it a different meaning: peace, tenacity and tranquillity.
Black has negative connotations because it is associated with death, evil or destruction. In contrast, in ancient Egypt, it represented fertility and growth. Because of its relationship with darkness, black symbolizes mystery and the unknown. In the world of fashion, black is the colour of elegance, formality and sobriety.