Do you have a favourite colour?
Do different colours make you feel differently? Put you in different moods? Give you energy? Drain you?
Introduction to Colour Psychology
How we react to colours comes from a variety of sources, the natural world, our culture and even semantics. Nature is hugely influential in how we perceive and interpret colours. One of the easiest ways to understand colour psychology is to think about how and when we view specific colours in nature.
For example, when the weather is good we expect to see a blue (calming, serene, trustworthy) sky, green (calming, peaceful, reassuring) foliage, brown (down-to-earth, dependable) earth, yellow (bright, happy, fun) sun, white (peaceful) fluffy clouds.
Repeating the colours of a calm scene (above) in an outfit gives that impression of calm warmth (below)
When the clouds are dark grey or black we call them ‘intimidating’ and ‘threatening’, when we see red blood we think of potential danger and emergency and are physiologically stimulated by it (our blood pressure rises). Yet red in China is considered to be a lucky colour, it’s a great colour to wrap a gift in and is worn at weddings as it symbolizes good fortune and joy.
Why do we love pictures of tropical scenery so much? They’re mainly full of mid blues and greens which calm and relax us, yet because of their brightness have a fun and warm quality to them.
We also interpret colours culturally, for example, brides wear white wedding dresses in Western cultures and thus the colour has come to symbolise purity and freshness. Green is the colour of a political party ‘The Greens’ in Australia and represents a left-wing political view, it’s also the colour of the environmental movement and we talk about ‘being green’ meaning caring about the environment.
Green is also used semantically to represent envy (green with envy), having the blues is another way of saying that you’re depressed, as is a visit by the black dog.
Each time we see a colour we are using our natural perceptions plus our cultural and semantic understandings to interpret it and give it meaning.
Are there any colours that are perceived in a particular way in your culture?
More on Colour Psychology
Want to know which colours make you look great? How to use colours effectively in your wardrobe? Find your signature colours that make you shine? Discover this and so much more in my 7 Steps to Style program – colour is just one of the seven steps!
I was just thinking about this subject yesterday. Black is my primary colour. Just recently I have gone crazy for taupe. Thoughts, my color psychology expert friend?
xo+pbc
My only cultural comment on color is really historical, but at 68, much of my life qualifies as history. When I was a child I loved red, still do, and liked to wear it. I had a neighbor whose coloring was very much like mine whose father wouldn't let her wear red because he associated it with women of "easy virtue", in the way of Scarlett's red dress. Here's a nice description and a couple of pix.
http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Style-of-Scarlett-O-Hara.
I was hoping someone from a background in China would comment. As I understand it, they used red for happiness, good luck, and wedding dresses, and white for mourning. I wonder if that is still true?
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Yes.
Red means money and wealth, not blood and danger.
In India too, red is an auspicious colour… brides wear it, Godesses are adorned with it and married women are forever encouraged to wear it…
White on the contrary, is the colour of mourning… the colour of funeral, of widows…. totally contrasts the western world…
Green is another auspicious colour in Indian culture, green glass bangles are often a sign of a married woman. You wear green during festvals, on important ocassions…. and not one of envy at all…
black is the colour of doom… a lot of people would still not wear black!
I find it difficult to choose one favourite colour, my wardrobe has items of mixtures depending on the style that suits my body shape and whatever acceptable colour the garment comes in for my colouring. So that dictates what is in my wardrobe. Greys, taupe, beiges, some red, some teals, purple.
I love the various shades of aqua green and white of the surf, so have a few items for the summer in those colours. Am attracted to fuschia and cobalt blues, but have autumn/warm colouring so have those in accessories after reading your advice on image. I positively hate burnt orange and olive, which I have worn a lot of in the past. Love your advice and look for it daily. You have helped me streamline my clothes as I have an impossibly tiny wardrobe and room.
The cultural connotation of color is very interesting. I have benefitted from joining your 7 Steps to Style group. The Intriguing colors are flattering and the color chips are helpful while shopping. I am a color enthusiast and painting is my passion,