Psychology of Color Essay Example for Free

psychological science of pretext EssayThe brain receives signals from three different warp channels sanguine, blue-blooded, and grand. When the brain receives a mix of these signals, we grasp simulationise that atomic number 18 mixtures of these three primary colours through a process called cloak step-up (Think Quest Color psychological science). All colo crimson visible light rout out be evince as any mixtures or consistencies of red, blue, or green, which by perception between the eyes and the brain, produces the vast spectrum of color that exists to pityings and other organisms alike. With the ability to alter our moods and bodily functions, color has more of an impact on us than we may realize.Each color produces different make on humans, bringing about numerous physiologic and psychological changes as unique as the color itself. Its presence everywhere in our daily lives makes these effects inevitable, no matter how unaw ar we ar of them. colourise n on only alter the state of our intelligence and body merely usher out in like manner reveal a lot about ourselves, including our personality, experiences, and ability to complot memories. Colors can be categorized into deuce groups, warm colors and cool colors. Warm colors consist of any shade of red, orange, yellow, and pink.They can evoke emotions ranging from impressions of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility. Cool colors consist of greens, blues, and purples. Although they for the most part create a calming, soothing effect, they can excessively bring feelings of sadness or indifference (Kendra Cherry Color Psychology How Colors Impact Moods, Feelings, and Behaviors). Although each of the colors within these dickens groups produces altercations somewhat similar to those of its group members, they create their own objective, iodine-of-a-kind effects on the human body and spirit. ablaze(p) is one and only(a) of the three primary colors, as well as one of three different color channels the brain receives signals from. It represents blood, heat, passion, love, intensity, danger, and is often assortd with Christmas and Valentines Day (Nicholson, Mary, Dr. Colors and Moods). Being a very touch color, whenever the sight of it is picked up and signaled to the brain, red activates the adrenal glands. Physiologically, red can increase heart rate, respiration, appetite, and blood pressure. It can withal raise stamina and improve the functioning of the central nervous system (Kate Smith, Color Meaning, Symbolism, and Psychology).The psychological effects of red include feelings of anger, vitality, and a sense of protection from fears and anxieties. Red can also increase enthusiasm, irritability, and sensuality. With its ability to dispel nix thoughts, it instigates confidence, action, and ambition (Think Quest). In a study by professor of psychology Andrew Elliot and researcher Daniela Niesta, it has been demonstrated that the color red makes men feel more amorous towards women (Science passing(a) Red Enhances Mens Attraction to Women, Psychological playing field Reveals).Even before the experiment, research provided both(prenominal) empirical and biological support to Elliot and Niestas claim. Empirically, red has been associated with romantic love and passions across cultures and the millennia. Biologically, they found credit in humans deep evolutionary roots to primates. Research has shown that nonhuman male primates are particularly attracted to females displaying red. Female baboons and chimpanzees, for example, redden conspicuously when nearing ovulation, sending a clear sexual signal knowing to attract males (Science Daily).The study looked at mens responses to photographs of women under various color presentations. In one experiment, subjects were shown a photograph of a woman border by a border of red and either white, elderly, green or blue. The men were then asked questions about how attracti ve they found the women to be. Another experiment consisted of two photos of the akin woman in which the womans shirt was digitally colored either red or blue. Along with questions concerning attraction, they were also asked about their intentions about dating, such as Imagine that you are going away on a date with this person and have $100 in your wallet.How such(prenominal) money would you be willing to spend on your date? (Science Daily). The results of the experiment showed that under all conditions, the women wearing or framed by red were rated significantly higher in attractiveness and sexual desirability than the exact same woman shown with any other color. Those whose favored color is red are typically outgoing, impulsive, aggressive, and restless in personality. Red is a color chosen by those who carry an open nature and a proclivity for vitality (Annie B. Bond, Your Favorite Color What it Says About You). Orange is a color that commands much attention.It represents w armth, enthusiasm, exuberance, liveliness and is also associated with Thanksgiving and Halloween (Nicholson). Physiologically, orange can brace the sexual organs, benefit the digestive system, and strengthen the immune system. It incites activity, socialization, and collect to its hate-it-or-love-it quality, it also sparks controversy (Smith). Psychologically, orange relieves feelings of self-pity, lack of self worth, and unwillingness to forgive. It can also open emotions, increase energy, and even serve as a perceptual antidepressant (Think Quest).Due to its association with arrogance, danger, and over-emotion, a comply proves that orange has been labeled as Americas Least Favorite Color (Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen The Subconscious Psychology of Color). People who prefer the color orange are often flamboyant, fun-loving, and enjoy living a social life. They can be somewhat histrionic and fickle, but are generally good-natured, agreeable, and popular (Bond). yellow is an uplifting co lor that is most associated with optimism, intellectuality, enlightenment, happiness, and signs of a bright future.Yellow can increase alertness and decisiveness, encourage communication, and stimulate the muscles and lymph system. Yellow can also activate the brain, spark clear, creative and intelligent thoughts, encourage memory, and stimulate mental processes (Smith). In a psychological sense, yellow brings feelings of happiness and increases perceptiveness, self-confidence, and optimism. It aids in discernment, good judgment, organization, and judgement (Think Quest). However, a dull yellow can bring feelings of fear. Those who favor yellow generally tend to be adventurous, shrewd, and carry a strong sense of humor.They can often shun responsibility due to their bring outdom-loving personalities, but are usually clear and precise thinkers who have a good outlook on life (Bond). As one of the three color channels, green occupies more space in the spectrum visible to the human e ye than most colors. dark-green represents nature, health, abundance, wealth, good luck, growth, peace, and clarity. Green can help acquire physical symmetricalness and relaxation, and has been shown to be beneficial to the heart. It also relaxes muscles and induces slower, deeper breathing (Smith).Psychologically, green has a tranquilizing and balancing effect. It brings about comfort, laziness, relaxation, and harmony. It can also alleviate nervousness and anxiety, and offer a sense of renewal and self-control (Think Quest). Surveys show that Green is Americas second favorite color (Pawlik-Kienlen). It usually a color liked by those who are gentle, sincere, and reputable. However, their tendency to be too modest and patient can lead to their exploitation. They are generally community-minded people who prefer peace at any price (Bond). Blue is the last of the three color channels.It is closely associated with spirituality, melancholy, cleanliness, wisdom, sadness, trustworthiness , and commitment (Nicholson). Being at far ends of the color spectrum, the color blue has almost tout ensemble opposite effects of the color red. Blue decreases appetite, breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. It also regulates sleep patterns, keeps hit the books marrow healthy, and stimulates the pituitary and thyroid glands and causes the production of calming chemicals. Blue brings feelings of calmness and relaxation. It can also authorize insomnia, aid intuition, and increase mental clarity and control (Smith).However, an excessive amount of blue can be depressing and saddening (ThinkQuest). Surveys prove that the color blue, being the least gender specific, is labeled as Americas Favorite Color (Pawlik-Kienlen). People whose favorite color is blue are typically preserving, sensitive, and self-controlled. Even though they can be worriers who are often cautious, they are faithful and have steady character (Bond). empurple is the majestic color of mystery, creativity, unres t, and royalty (Nicholson). Being the mixture of red and blue, the effects of the color purple tally elements from those of both red and blue.Physiologically, purple can alleviate skin conditions suppress hunger, balance metabolism, and calm the mind and nerves. It can also be perceived as an antiseptic and a narcotic (Smith). Psychologically, purple increases creativity, intuition, imagination, and sensitiveness to beauty, high ideals, spirituality, and compassion. It can balance the mind, cleanse emotional disturbances, and combat states of shock and fear (Think Quest). Purple is the favorite color of adolescent girls. Those who prefer purple over all the other colors tend to be artistic, individualistic, fastidious, and witty.They can become aloof and sarcastic when misunderstood, but are generally unconventional, tolerant, and dignified (Bond). Pink is associated with youth, romance, free spirit, lightheartedness, love (Nicholson). Being a lighter tint of red, many aspects of red are evident in the color pink. Pink can stimulate energy and help muscles relax. Like red, it also increases blood pressure, respiration, heartbeat, and jiffy rate. Pink offers feelings of calmness, protection, and a sense of nurture. It encourages action, reduces erratic behavior, and sparks a proclivity to be carefree (Smith).Embodying the gentler qualities of red, pink represents peaceful sensuality and unselfish love. People whose favorite color is pink are often charming, maternal, and gentle. However, they tend to desire a sheltered life and require affection, perhaps wanting to appear delicate and fragile (Bond). browned is an organic color that represents reliability, approachability, the natural demesne, and connections with the Earth (Nicholson). It provides a sense of orderliness, security, stability, and wholesomeness. It also conveys withholding emotion and feelings of retreating from the world (Smith).Those who like the color brown are generally steady, conser vative, conscientious, and accountable. They may be tactless and inflexible, but they are responsible and kind (Bond). minacious, white, and gray are not considered colors, but are shades. Although they elicit no physiologic effects, they still bring about psychological changes. Black represents authority, power, emptiness, sophistication, silence, and death (Nicholson). It evokes strong emotions and sense of potential and possibility. Black produces feelings of passiveness, emptiness, and being inconspicuous (Smith).Those who like black want to give a mysterious appearance, which depicts a tincture of hidden depths and inner longings (Bond). White represents purity, neutrality, and safety (Nicholson). It aids mental clarity, encourages the elimination of clutter, purifies thoughts and actions, enables fresh beginnings, and offers a feeling of freedom and openness (Smith). However, an overabundance of white can bring feelings of separation, coldness, and isolation. People who li ke white indicate a desire for perfection, simplicity, and a recapture of lost youth and freshness (Bond). Gray is the shade middle black and white.It is associated with dignity, conservativeness, control, independence, and authority (Nicholson). Gray increases independence, self-reliance, evasion, non-commitment, and lack of involvement (Smith). It is unsettling and creates a sense of high expectations, separation, and loneliness. Those who like gray are hard-working and often search for composure and a steady life with few ups and downs (Bond). The effects and associations of a color vary from person to person subjectively. Changes in the general effect of a color depend on some ones personality, experiences, culture, and memories.Through a subjective perspective of color, a negative association with a color could cause undesirable effects and stir distaste towards that color. For example, if you receive a heartbreaking letter sealed in a green envelope, green may now be your lea st favorite color due to a new subconscious association with heartbreak and sorrow. In Elliot and Niestas study on the relationship between attraction and the color red, they also concluded that Although red enhances positive feelings in this study, earlier research suggests the meaning of a color depends on its context.For example, Elliot and others have shown that see red in competition situations, such as written examinations or sporting events, leads to worse surgical procedure (Science Daily). In a study transfered by UC Berkley, researchers found that peoples color preferences were middlemaned to their experiences. To conduct their studies, the researchers had four different groups perform four different tasks judge their color preferences, recording the objects they associated with each color, rating how they felt about each object or matching an object to a color (Rachel Banning-Lover Study Links Color Preference to Experiences).They found that color preference was hig hly shaped by experience. For example, one subject stated that their favorite color was pink, and then later admitted to having fond memories in her sisters pink bedroom, which would produce a positive association with the color pink. The researchers also discovered a link between school spirit and color preferences. Those who attended Berkley generally preferred their own school colors, blue and gold, over red, Stanfords school color. There has also been cross-cultural evidence that creates varying effects of color.cross-cultural differences can occur in two ways different cultures may have different objects that turn individuals perceptions of certain colors, or two cultures may have the same object but may associate different feelings with that object (Banning-Lover). For example, somebody from France may feel energized around navy bluealthough blues are typically calmingdue to the widespread use of the color in their country. Personality is a big, if not the biggest, impact on somebodys preference and perception of a color.In general, extroverts or those with spry personalities are drawn to richer, warmer colors, while introverts or those with relaxed personalities prefer cooler, more subtle colors (Bond). Colors that are found in certain areas of our everyday lives have a reason for being there. grounds the objective effects of colors, many places have used certain colors to subconsciously manipulate the domain into feeling or acting a desirable way, most of the time without them even realizing it.Red is usually used in restaurants, both fast food and sit-downs, due to its ability to increase the appetites of its customers and therefore change magnitude their likelihood of buying more food. Orange is the color of most traffic cones and construction signs. Used to press stud drivers attention, orange increases their awareness to prevent accidents. Green lights are often used in forensics due to its ability to incite a confession from criminals more than any other color of light. With its strong connection with the Earth, green is also used to promote environmentalism.Blue is commonly used in hospitals to calm patients. Research also shows that people are more productive in blue rooms, for example, weightlifters are able to lift heavier weights in blue gyms (David Johnson Color Psychology). Pink is proven to reduce erratic behavior, and is therefore used in many prison holding cells (Think Quest). Due to its ability to tranquilize, sports teams sometimes paint the locker room of the fence team pinks so their opponents will lose energy. White symbolizes neutrality and is used for truce flags. It is also have on by doctors and nurses to imply sterility (Johnson).The roots of studying the effects of color can be traced covering to ancient cultures, such as the Chinese and Egyptians. They practiced chromotherapy, or using colors to heal. For example, blue was believed to comfort illness and treat pain, while yellow was thought to stimulate the body (Cherry). Just like color psychology received much question in ancient times it still receives much skepticism today. No matter how unaware we are of the physiological and psychological effects of color, there is no disbelieve that color has a huge impact on our lives, playing a role in moods, decisions, sensations, and much more.