How Colors Affect Emotions

I am curious about the effect of colors and color combinations to people. How do we react to the colors we see? How do we interpret what feeling it gives and can we cure mental deficiencies like stress, over thinking and nervousness? A very important aspect of our visual experience is color. It is logical to assume that what we see, especially color, can affect the systems of the body. We humans have our own reactions to colors.

We express our emotions through colors. Our decisions are sometimes taken from what color it reflects.For us to have a better understanding of color’s impact, we need to find that urge we have on colors that will later evolve on experience. That urge we have reflects our traits that helps us though our growth. Seeing colors that we hate or like distracts us from the true objective of the things we want to do.

We mostly choose clothes and objects that have our favorite colors. Some popular color combinations like Red, Yellow, and Orange (like Jollibee, Chow king, McDonalds and more). It combines the attraction of Red, the joy of Yellow, and the sensation of Orange.So every time you enter restaurants with color like those, you tend to lose time and forget problems. You just order and enjoy. A blue room, perhaps a bathroom where you relax in the tub, can enhance the feeling of calm and well being.

The color purple is connected to wisdom and royalty. It’s also an exotic color rarely found in nature. Things that are purple attract attention and even suggest authority. Blues in combination are known to project a businesslike and authoritative feel. A red text on a blue background will give you eye strain and fatigue.

This occurrence is called simultaneous contrast.Color is nature's own signaling system. It’s the first thing we register when we are assessing anything: a very simple and obvious example of that is our reaction to a fly in our home: if it is black or navy blue, we will probably find it a minor irritation, but if it has yellow stripes our reaction will be different, most of us will run because we think it will sting us. The same instinct tells us when food is unsafe to eat and for the animals, color is widely used to signal their mates. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, mood is a conscious state of mind, or a predominant emotion that reflects into an attitude.

Mood is different from emotions. They are general and are less likely to be set off by a particular action or event. In reference to this study, mood can be defined as "the state of mind of people whenever they see color combinations". People can either be in a "good mood" or in a "bad mood". Color, from croyola.

com, is the aspect of things that is caused by differing qualities of light being reflected or emitted by them. When light shines on an object, some colors bounce off it and other are absorbed. Our eyes only see the colors that are bounced off or reflected.White actually reflects all colors equally and absorbs none, while black absorbs everything and reflects none. Scientists does not consider black as a color because it is the absence of all colors. Color is usually defined along three dimensions: hue (the pigment of the color, e.

g. , blue, red, etc. ), chroma (saturation of color), and value (degree of darkness or lightness of the color) This can be used in the study when we interpret how some people can fell emptiness when they see the color black. Effect is a change that is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.

.In this study, it can be interpreted as the state of behavior that humans are in when they see a specific color combination. Take for example the calming effect of the colors light blue and white to the mind and body to a person. How are their actions influenced by the color? According to Taylor Hartman (1998), “behaviors are determined by needs and wants. Needs and wants are determined by motives. Motives are the principal means of identifying a personality color.

” Motives are our innermost reasons. They control us of why and how we behave like this.Each color has its own motives. For example: Red is for power.

They are hungry for power, they want to look good to others and they want to be leaders. Blue is for intimacy. They seek intimacy, want to be remembered and appreciated and have a strong moral conscience. White is for peace and purity. They need kindness, prefer quiet strength, are independent and are motivated by other people’s desires. Yellow is for fun.

They value play, welcomes praise or wants to be popular, and likes action or to move. Cited from “Color Your Future” by Taylor Hartman (1999).In 1666, English scientist Sir Isaac Newton discovered that when pure white light passes through a prism, it separates into all of the visible colors. Newton also found that each color is made up of a single wavelength and cannot be separated any further into other colors. Light from the sun or from another light source should be present in order for us to see colors. Light reaches our temporal lobes (which are involved in memory, perception, and emotion) and the hypothalamus (which is involved in drives associated with the survival of both the individual and the species –hunger, thirst, emotion and reproduction).

The response to light and color with in the brain helps us to form associations with the things in our world. The combined effect of light, different shades of color and our personal experiences has an impact to our general associations to the world. (As cited in Color Psychology by Kendra Cherry 2014) We live in a world of color. Back in ancient times, 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.

But the use of colors now is vast. It is widely used for advertisements, marketing, art, design and other areas. Existing research has found that color can impact people in a variety of surprising ways: One study found that warm-colored placebo pills were reported as more effective than cool-colored placebo pills.Anecdotal evidence has suggested that installing blue-colored streetlights can lead to a reduction of crime in those areas. The temperature of the environment might play a role in color preference. People who are warm tend to list cool colors as their favorites, while people who are cold prefer warmer colors.

Studies have also shown that certain colors can have an impact on performance. Exposing students to the color red prior to an exam has been shown to have a negative impact on test performance.More recently, researchers discovered that the color red causes people to react with greater speed and force, something that might prove useful during athletic activities. One study that looked at historical data found that sports teams dressed in mostly black uniforms are more likely to receive penalties and that students were more likely to associate negative qualities with a player wearing a black uniform. Conclusion: Color affects humans differently.

There is a cycle of changing colors that affects our mind and body through the different stages of life. These are reflected in our changing color preferences.For example in children, they are very active in their everyday life; running around and playing. They will most likely have big bursts of energy in colorful, vibrant rooms, like yellows, reds, greens and blues. In teenage years, asserting individuality and growth spurts, both physically and emotionally, are typical of this time.

They tend to lean to a specific color combination that expresses their social awareness and emotional development. Black is a popular color amongst this age group and it tends to have other color partners such as red, blue and green.In older age groups, warmth, security and harmony are of importance since this is the stage where fear and loneliness is felt. Soft shades, or soft pastels are preferred choices.

Some studies show that peaches, warm tans, lavender and soft greens help in the spiritual healing, are emotionally supporting, physically nourishing and mentally soothing and peaceful. Each of us has our own distinct color, may it be a single color or a combination of colors. These colors that we are attracted to are the source of our motives.We get to do things we don’t usually do because of seeing and feeling the aura the color we saw or have seen gives off.

If you’re talking to someone new while wearing a certain combination of colors that gives you comfort, that person will react differently because we have different views on color combinations. People have a distinct reaction to colors that not all could feel. They are expressions of our ability to feel physically secure. I learned that there is a strong emotion component to color and that there is no formula for coming up with the perfect color.