‫كلية الفنون الجميلة‬

The influence of colors in human life

Prof/ Naguib Ezzat

Eng/ Ismail Tantawy

Name/ habiba fathy

47
‫إعدادي ديكور‬
Contents

•what is color psychology? “Introduction”

•The beginning of understanding color psychology.

•color psychology in ancient cultures.

•examples of color psychology in ancient cultures.

•color psychology in everyday life.

•psychological effects of cool colors.

•psychological effects of warm colors.

•conclusion.
What is color psychology?

Color psychology is the study of hues and how it affect humans in

many aspects of life.

The psychology of color is based on the mental and emotional

effects colors have on sighted people in all aspects of life.

Color is a powerful communication tool that can influence moods

and psychological reactions, the studies has proved that some
certain colors can increase blood pressure, increase metabolism and
eye strain.

The beginning of understanding color psychology:

In 1666 sir Isaac Newton discovered that when a pure white light
passes through a prism, it separates into all of the visible colors and
each color is made up of a single wave length and can’t be separated
into other colors.

Later experiments discovered that different colors or light if

compiled can form other colors, for example:

When red light is mixed with yellow light it creates orange color and
some colors, such as green and magenta cancel each other out when
mixed and result in white color.

Researchers Andrew Elliot and Markus Maier have noticed that a

little theoretical work has been conducted to date on color’s
influence on psychological functioning and the work that has been
done has been driven mostly by practical concerns, not scientific
rigor.

Despite that lack of research in this topic, researchers found out that
every color can have a different influence on moods, feelings and
behavior which lead to the concept of color psychology becoming a
hot topic in many aspects such as marketing, designing art and
interior designing.

Color psychology in ancient cultures:

Several ancient cultures including Egyptian and Chinese practiced

chromotherapy or colorology which means light therapy.

Colorology is still used today as a holistic or alternative treatment

and according to this treatment:

•yellow: is believed to stimulate the nerves and purify the body.

•Red: is believed to stimulate the body, mind and increase

circulation.

•Orange: is used to heal the lungs and increase energy levels .

•Blue: is believed to soothe illnesses and treat pain.

•indigo: and its shades are thought to alleviate skin problems.

Color psychology in everyday life:

Colors can influence us in a variety of ways, also they can simulate,

suppress, excite , calm and influence the way we think.
There have been experiments where participants were given
different colored pills, the pills were empty with no medicine in
them, and as a result of this experiment, people who were given blue
and similar cool colored pills had a relaxing and calming influence on
them.
The other participants who were given red and similar bright colored
pills had an increased level of energy and excitement, yet, the pills
didn’t have any medicine or drugs inside them, it was just the effect
of the difference in colors and how they could affect humans’ mood.

Some cities have experimented installing blue lightning in the

streets, the statistics in these cities showed that crime and disorderly
behavior reduced after the blue lightning was installed in the streets.
This is believed to be the relaxing and calming influence of the blue
light.

Some studies has also proved that different colors can affect our
appetites, for example, blue is believed to suppress appetites but
orange and red and other warm colors can increase appetites.

Also the color pink is believed to calm and reduce aggression wether
it’s light pink or pale pink, it also it known to make us crave candy or
sweets due to common associations.

You will often find brighter colors in restaurants and other food
outlets to encourage our appetites and cool colors such as green or
blue shades in hospitals, doctor surgeries and Heath spars.

Psychological effects of warm colors:

Red:

Positive:

Physical courage, strength, warmth, energy, basic survival, 'fight or

flight', stimulation, masculinity, excitement.

Negative:

Defiance, aggression, visual impact, strain.

Being the longest wavelength, red is a powerful color. Although not
technically the most visible, it has the property of appearing to be
nearer than it is and therefore it grabs our attention first. Hence its
effectiveness in traffic lights the world over. Its effect is physical; it
stimulates us and raises the pulse rate, giving the impression that
time is passing faster than it is. It relates to the masculine principle
and can activate the "fight or flight" instinct. Red is strong, and very
basic. Pure red is the simplest color, with no subtlety. It is stimulating
and lively, very friendly. At the same time, it can be perceived as
demanding and aggressive.

Yellow:

Positive:

Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extraversion, emotional

strength, friendliness, creativity.

Negative:

Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression, anxiety, suicide.

The yellow wavelength is relatively long and essentially stimulating.
In this case the stimulus is emotional, therefore yellow is the
strongest color, psychologically. The right yellow will lift our spirits
and our self-esteem; it is the color of confidence and optimism. Too
much of it, or the wrong tone in relation to the other tones in a color
scheme, can cause self-esteem to plummet, giving rise to fear and
anxiety. Our "yellow streak" can surface.

Orange:

Positive:

Physical comfort, food, warmth, security, sensuality, passion,

abundance, fun.

Negative:
Deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity.
Since it is a combination of red and yellow, orange is stimulating and
reaction to it is a combination of the physical and the emotional. It
focuses our minds on issues of physical comfort - food, warmth,
shelter etc. - and sensuality. It is a 'fun' color. Negatively, it might
focus on the exact opposite - deprivation. This is particularly likely
when warm orange is used with black. Equally, too much orange
suggests frivolity and a lack of serious intellectual values.

Pink:

Positive:

Physical tranquility, nurture, warmth, femininity, love, sexuality,

survival of the species.

Negative:

Inhibition, emotional claustrophobia, emasculation, physical

weakness. Being a tint of red, pink also affects us physically, but it
soothes, rather than stimulates. (Interestingly, red is the only color
that has an entirely separate name for its tints. Tints of blue, green,
yellow, etc. are simply called light blue, light green...etc.) Pink is a
powerful color, psychologically. It represents the feminine principle,
and survival of the species; it is nurturing and physically soothing.
Too much pink is physically draining and can be somewhat
emasculating.

•psychological effects of cool colors:

Blue:

Positive:
Intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, serenity, duty, logic,
coolness, reflection, calm.

Negative:

Coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness.

Blue is the color of the mind and is essentially soothing; it affects us
mentally, rather than the physical reaction we have to red. Strong
blues will stimulate clear thought and lighter, soft blues will calm the
mind and aid concentration. Consequently it is serene and mentally
calming. It is the color of clear communication. Blue objects do not
appear to be as close to us as red ones. Time and again in research,
blue is the world's favorite color. However, it can be perceived as
cold, unemotional and unfriendly.

Green:

Positive:

Harmony, balance, refreshment, universal love, rest, restoration,

reassurance, environmental awareness, equilibrium, peace.
Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation.

Negative:

Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation.

Green strikes the eye in such a way as to require no adjustment
whatever and is, therefore, restful. Being in the centre of the
spectrum, it is the color of balance – a more important concept than
many people realize. When the world around us contains plenty of
green, this indicates the presence of water, and little danger of
famine, so we are reassured by green, on a primitive level.
Negatively, it can indicate stagnation and, incorrectly used, will be
perceived as being too bland.
Violet:

Positive:

Spiritual awareness, containment, vision, luxury, authenticity, truth,

quality. Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority.

Negative:

Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority.

The shortest wavelength is violet, often described as purple. It takes
awareness to a higher level of thought, even into the realms of
spiritual values. It is highly introverted and encourages deep
contemplation, or meditation. It has associations with royalty and
usually communicates the finest possible quality. Being the last
visible wavelength before the ultra- violet ray, it has associations
with time and space and the cosmos. Excessive use of purple can
bring about too much introspection and the wrong tone of it
communicates something cheap and nasty, faster than any other
color.

Other colors:

Black:

Positive:

Sophistication, glamour, security, emotional safety, efficiency,

substance. Oppression, coldness, menace, heaviness.

Negative:

Black is all colors, totally absorbed. The psychological implications of

that are considerable. It creates protective barriers, as it absorbs all
the energy coming towards you, and it enshrouds the personality.
Positively, it communicates absolute clarity, with no fine nuances. It
works particularly well with white. It communicates sophistication
and uncompromising excellence. It creates a perception of weight
and seriousness (it is a myth that black clothes are slimming). Black is
essentially an absence of light, since no wavelengths are reflected
and it can, therefore be menacing; many people are afraid of the
dark.

White:

Positive:

Hygiene, sterility, clarity, purity, cleanness, simplicity, sophistication,

efficiency.

Negative:

Sterility, coldness, barriers, unfriendliness, elitism.

Just as black is total absorption, so white is total reflection. In effect,
it reflects the full force of the spectrum into our eyes. Thus it also
creates barriers, but differently from black, and it is often a strain to
look at. It communicates, "Touch me not!" White is purity and, like
black, uncompromising; it is clean, hygienic, and sterile. The concept
of sterility can also be negative. Visually, white gives a heightened
perception of space. The negative effect of white on warm colors is
to make them look and feel garish.

Grey:

Positive:

Psychological neutrality.

Negative:
Lack of confidence, dampness, depression, hibernation, lack of
energy. Pure grey is the only color that has no direct psychological
properties. It is, however, quite suppressive. A virtual absence of
color is depressing and when the world turns grey we are
instinctively conditioned to draw in and prepare for hibernation.
Unless the precise tone is right, grey has a dampening effect on other
colors used with it. Heavy use of grey usually indicates a lack of
confidence and fear of exposure.

Conclusion:

Colors may have great influence on our moods, behavior and

productivity so choosing the right colors to affect humans in the best
way possible can really be a turning point in many aspects of life.
Resources:

Azeemi ST, Raza SM. A critical analysis of chromotherapy and its scientific
evolution. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2005;2(4):481-8.
doi:10.1093/ecam/neh137

de Craen AJ, Roos PJ, de Vries AL, Kleijnen J. Effect of colour of drugs: systematic
review of perceived effect of drugs and of their effectiveness. BMJ.
1996;313(7072):1624‐1626. doi:10.1136/bmj.313.7072.1624

Elliot AJ, Aarts H. Perception of the color red enhances the force and velocity of
motor output. Emotion. 2011;11(2):445-9. doi:10.1037/a0022599

Frank MG, Gilovich T. The dark side of self- and social perception: black uniforms
and aggression in professional sports. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1988;54(1):74‐85.
doi:10.1037//0022-3514.54.1.7
https://www.verywellmind.com/the-color-psychology-of-black-2795814

search paper based on work by Angela Wright (psychologist of

Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, England, and at Carmel,
California, USA) who studies both unconscious thought processes
and the dynamics of color harmony in her exploration of color
psychology.