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Psychological Meaning of Colours
Your favourite colour says something about who you are and may stay the same throughout your life. If we are drawn to different colours at different times, these can relate to what is happening in our lives or what we need at that moment.
When we see colours, they send us unconscious messages: a blue company logo looks like a company we can trust; a woman dressed in violet is mysterious and other-worldly.
Colour also affects us physically. It is possible to ‘feel’ colours: blind people are particularly sensitive to the energetic vibrations of colour. Red is strong and energising, yellow uplifting, blue calming, just as they are when we see them or close our eyes and imagine ourselves surrounded by them.
Colour also affects us physically.It is possible to ‘feel’ colours: blind people are particularly sensitive to the energetic vibrations of colour.
Red is strong and energising, yellow uplifting, blue calming, just as they are when we see them or close our eyes and imagine ourselves surrounded by them.
• Red evokes aggressiveness, passion, strength, vitality.
• Pink evokes femininity, innocence, softness, health.
• Orange evokes fun, cheeriness, warm exuberance.
• Yellow evokes positively, sunshine and cowardice.
• Green evokes tranquility, health, freshness.
• Blue evokes authority, dignity, security, faithfulness.
• Purple evokes sophistication, spirituality, costliness, royalty and mystery.
• Brown evokes utility, earthiness, woodsiness and subtle richness.
• White evokes purity, truthfulness, being contemporary and refined.
• Gray evokes somberness, authority, practicality and a corporate mentality.
• Black evokes seriousness, distinctiveness, boldness and being classic.
Our feelings and emotions are directly affected by the balance or imbalance of hormones in the body; since this is affected by colours they will also have a marked influence on our moods and feelings. Certain colours can calm our minds, while others stimulate mental activity. By restoring a balance of colour energy flowing to the pituitary, metabolic and emotional equilibrium can be restored. This can alleviate stress, tension, anxiety, and depression. Certain colours can help us deal with feelings of lonleliness, frustration, and greif.
Using colour to alter emotional energy also results in changed perceptions of the world, and our experience of it. Since colour directly links to the subconscious mind we can use it to diagnose and treat a problem at a deep level.
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Colour Psychology
Details cf each Colour properties
Red:
• Red is a powerful colour that has always been associated with vitality and ambition. It can help overcome negative thoughts. However, it is also associated with anger; if we have too much red in our system, or around us, we may feel irritable, impatient, and uncomfortable.
• Pink is emotionally soothing and calming, and gives a feeling of gentle warmth and nurturing. It lessens feelings of irritation and aggression, surrounding us with a sense of love and protection. It also alleviates loneliness, despondency, oversensitivity, and vulnerability. While red relates more to sexuality, pink is associated with unselfish love
• Spectrum: 1st color - the lowest of the seven spectrum colors
• Planet: Mars - God of War
• Element: Fire
• Gemstone: Ruby
• Metal: Iron
• Musical Note: C - the lowest note on the scale - martial music
• Attributes: Strength, force, power, control and leadership. Stimulation, warmth, excitement. Good health, physical energy, love, sex, passion, courage, protection. Birth, life and death, birth and volcanic eruptions. Red is the chief color in any herbs or medicines having a heating and stimulating effect, such as cayenne, cloves or musk.
• Characteristics: A person who likes red can express many personality traits. The positive ones being passion, energy, and money making. The darker manifestations of those who favor reddish-brown colors can be addictions such as drugs, alcohol, eating disorders or emotional instability. Red-oranges are dynamic people persons who love the outdoors. High emotions are characteristic of those who like red with blue overtones. They can be energetic people to be with. Red personalities are seductive. Men are attracted to a woman wearing red regardless of how good looking she may be. Business people who wish to stand out wear red to meetings, expressing their desire for power and control. They crave the attention. The red personality makes others feel more energetic and vital. This personality may have a volatile temperment but cools off just as quickly. A bit of a know-it-all, the red person is quick to give others answers to any question. What they don't know, they will find out, as they are terrified of appearing stupid. They want everything done in a hurry. They are expert power nappers when they run out of energy and then bounce back as before.
Red personalities feel all powerful and convince others that they are but they do not make good leaders. Under proper direction, they do make good followers and have no problems doing whatever needs doing to finish a job. A bit scattered, red personalities can go off on tangents, their attention span being limited. Quick minded, bright people, when focused, they can be very determined.
Orange:
Orange is a joyous colour. It frees and releases emotions and alleviates feelings of self-pity, lack of self-worth, and unwillingness to forgive. It stimulates the mind, renewing interest in life; it is a wonderful antidepressant and lifts the spirits. Apricot/peach is good for nervous exhaustion.
Spectrum: 2nd color of the seven spectrum colors
Planet: Sun
Gemstone: Amber
Metal: Gold
Musical Note: D - emotional music
Attributes: The color of nature, warm, invigorating, confident and courageous. Encouragement, helpfulness, concentration, attraction, adaptability, stimulation.
Characteristics: As nature lovers, orange people love being outdoors, whether walking in the forest or participating in sports. Nature invigorates them and being housebound depresses them. They feel an affinity for both flora and fauna, recognizing that all people are also part of nature. Well thought of by others, orange personalities make good friends and excel at careers such as farming or ranching, wilderness guides or professional sports.
They may sometimes make others mad but it is short-lived, it usually doesn't last very long. Most are the nicest people but it's not smart to put them in a corner as they will bite. They are generally considered good lovers with a decidedly kinky side, in that they are completely open to try anything to please a partner. Egalitarian, they like to support the underdog and are very much good Samaritans. They do talk a lot, project their voices loudly and are not afraid to express opinions on anything. Learning from past mistakes, orange people are thoughtful and very aware of their actions and surroundings.Orange personalities are completely secure in knowing that what they wish for in life is theirs for the taking and that they deserve the best.
Yellow:
Yellow is also a happy, bright, and uplifting colour, a celebration of sunny days. It is associated with the intellectual side of the mind, and the expression of thoughts. It therefore aids the powers of discernment and discrimination, memory and clear thinking, decision-making and good judgement. It also helps good organization, assimilation of new ideas, and the ability to see different points of view. It builds self-confidence and encourages an optimistic attitude. Conversely, dull yellow can be the colour of fear.
Spectrum: 3rd color of the seven spectrum colors
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Gemstone: Topaz
Musical Note: E - lowest of the seven notes martial music
Attributes: Intellectual, wise, quick witted, confident, divinity, communicative, eloquent, full of movement, luminous, thoughful and royal. Attractive, persuasive, trustworthy and charming. Yellow is the main color in all herbs which are purgatives or nerve-stimulants, such as senna , sulfur, fig juice, tartar, castor oil.
Characteristics: Yellow is the color of the Buddha and His followers. Yellow people make good leaders as they are methodical in their thinking and decisive. They analyze before acting.
People with yellow personalities are very business minded and like to be thought of as educated. They use their minds to achieve their goals and as a result, love games and are particularly good at chess. Yellow people can be stubborn and if they favor mustard yellow, they can be pompous and cause suspicion. The darkest characteristic of yellow is deceit and cowardice.
Yellow personalities consider all points of view prior to making decisions. They can bury their emotions when they are feeling stressed out, believing it to be a sign of weakness and refuse to allow others to see them this way. They are insular, keeping their circle of intimate friends very small and limited to those who are also business types. Even having friends, yellow people depend only on themselves. Both males and females are considered clothes horses, liking to look good at all times.
Green:
Green has a strong affinity with nature, helping us connect with empathy to others and the natural world. We instinctively seek it out when under stress or experiencing emotional trauma. It creates a feeling of comfort, laziness and relaxation, calmnes, and space, lessening stress, balancing and soothing the emotions. Dark green is helpful for emotional uncertainty.
But when green becomes muddy, dull, or olive, it indicates decay. Just like fallen leaves when they return to the Earth, muddy green represents the onset of death and is nondescript, unassertive, a negation of life and joy. Lime and olive-green can have a detrimental effect on both physical and emotional health since sickly yellow and green are associated with the emotions of envy, resentment, and possessiveness.
Spectrum: 4th color of the seven spectrum colors
Planet: Saturn
Element: Earth
Gemstone: Emerald
Metal: Lead
Musical Note: F - minor key, melancholy music
Attributes: Stability, harmony, pacifity, luminousity, quietude and peace of mind. Money, luck, success, prosperity, abundance, employment, fertility, healing, growth and cooperation.
Characteristics: Green personalities are nurturers. They wish to help, heal, or mother others. As such, these people can be found in the medical profession or social work. Others view them as good listeners and trustworthy as they keep their thoughts to themselves. As natural observers, they make excellent guidance counselors, human resource people, psychologists and psychiatrists. They can see all sides to issues and respect all positions.
Green personalities treat others as they wish to be treated and can put others at ease with no effort. Loving harmony makes them born peacemakers. Their homes reflect this by being comfortable and warm for visitors. If one likes dark green the person may be envious or overly concerned with the lives of others. In some cases they have to help others to feel good about themselves, which in its extreme form is codependent. As sometimes over-functioners, they must avoid the tendency to become martyrs.
All in all, green personalities make excellent friends because they are happy, caring and trustworthy. Needless to say, they are natural gardeners and pet lovers.
The Psychology of Colour
We all know that colour can affect our moods. We find some colours uplifting and inspiring, and others depressing. We often use terms such as "feeling blue," yellow-bellied," "green with envy," and "seeing red" without thinking of the meaning behind the words.
Our feelings and emotions are directly affected by the balance or imbalance of hormones in the body; since this is affected by colours they will also have a marked influence on our moods and feelings. Certain colours can calm our minds, while others stimulate mental activity. By restoring a balance of colour energy flowing to the pituitary, metabolic and emotional equilibrium can be restored. This can alleviate stress, tension, anxiety, and depression. Certain colours can help us deal with feelings of lonleliness, frustration, and greif.
Using colour to alter emotional energy also results in changed perceptions of the world, and our experience of it. Since colour directly links to the subconscious mind we can use it to diagnose and treat a problem at a deep level.
Red
Red is a powerful colour that has always been associated with vitality and ambition. It can help overcome negative thoughts. However, it is also associated with anger; if we have too much red in our system, or around us, we may feel irritable, impatient, and uncomfortable.
Pink is emotionally soothing and calming, and gives a feeling of gentle warmth and nurturing. It lessens feelings of irritation and aggression, surrounding us with a sense of love and protection. It also alleviates loneliness, despondency, oversensitivity, and vulnerability. While red relates more to sexuality, pink is associated with unselfish love.
Orange
Orange is a joyous colour. It frees and releases emotions and alleviates feelings of self-pity, lack of self-worth, and unwillingness to forgive. It stimulates the mind, renewing interest in life; it is a wonderful antidepressant and lifts the spirits. Apricot/peach is good for nervous exhaustion.
Yellow
Yellow is also a happy, bright, and uplifting colour, a celebration of sunny days. It is associated with the intellectual side of the mind, and the expression of thoughts. It therefore aids the powers of discernment and discrimination, memory and clear thinking, decision-making and good judgement. It also helps good organization, assimilation of new ideas, and the ability to see different points of view. It builds self-confidence and encourages an optimistic attitude. Conversely, dull yellow can be the colour of fear.
Green
Green has a strong affinity with nature, helping us connect with empathy to others and the natural world. We instinctively seek it out when under stress or experiencing emotional trauma. It creates a feeling of comfort, laziness and relaxation, calmnes, and space, lessening stress, balancing and soothing the emotions. Dark green is helpful for emotional uncertainty.
But when green becomes muddy, dull, or olive, it indicates decay. Just like fallen leaves when they return to the Earth, muddy green represents the onset of death and is nondescript, unassertive, a negation of life and joy. Lime and olive-green can have a detrimental effect on both physical and emotional health since sickly yellow and green are associated with the emotions of envy, resentment, and possessiveness.
Turquoise
We associate blue-greens with the refreshing and cool ocean. It is therefore invigorating, cooling, and calming. Like green, turquoise is good for mental strain and tiredness or feeling washed-out. It is an elevating colour that encourages us to make a sparkling fresh start. Turquoise is also helpful for feelings of loneliness, since it heightens communication, sensitivity, and creativity.
Blue:
Blue is a cool, calming colour and is associated with a higher part of the mind than yellow. It represents the night, so it makes us feel calm and relaxed as if we are being soothed by the deep blue of the night sky. Light and soft blue, make us feel quiet and protected from all the bustle and activity of the day, and alleviates insomnia. Blue inspires mental control, clarity, and creativity. Midnight blue has a strong sedative effect on the mind, allowing us to connect to our intuitive and feminine side. Too much dark blue can be depressing, however.
Spectrum: 5th color of the seven spectrum colors
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Gemstone: Amethyst
Musical Note: G - romantic music
Attributes: Love, devotion and harmony. Healing, peace, psychic ability, patience, happiness. Symbolic of the ocean, sleep, twilight, and the sky.
Characteristics: Blue people are emotional and stay within themselves. They tend to not trust others as they carefully watch them. Pale blue is the color of devotion and reflects one who prefers things to be in order. As blue becomes darker, it becomes moody and depressed, hence the term, 'the blues'. Lovers of royal blue can be on either a large high or in a deep pit of emotion. Navy blue is favored by those who are very emotional but wish to conceal it. They tend to indulge themselves in their emotions and can, in extreme cases, become obsessed. Being feelers, they cry when they are happy or sad and as a result leave themselves wide open to others. They can easily guage the mood of any person they are around regardless of their state of mind. Blue personalities can't explain the range of their emotions, as they are products of their environment. Looking for sympathy in others, blue people can be miserable to be with when they expect you to be down with them. Codependently, they need you to feel as they do. Too much blue around will create depression so it needs other colors to balance it.
Purple:
Indigo, violet and purple have a deep affect on the psyche and have been used in psychiatric care to help calm and pacify patients suffering from a number of mental and nervous disorders. These colours balance the mind and also help transform obsessions and fears.
Indigo is a powerful, psychic colour associated with the right side of the brain, and stimulates intuition and imagination. It is also a strong sedative. Violet and purple are colours of transformation at a very deep level, bringing peace and combating shock or fear. They have a cleansing effect in emotional disturbances. They are also connected with artistic and musical impulses, mystery, and sensitivity to beauty and high ideals, stimulating creativity, inspiration, sensitivity, spirituality, and compassion. Violet can exert strong psychic influences, however, and a person attracted by it has to guard against living in a fantasy world. Purple is associated with psychic protection.
• Spectrum: 7th and last color of the spectrum
• Planet: Jupiter
• Element: Fire
• Gemstone: Sapphire
• Metal: Tin
• Musical Note: B - sacred music, hymns
• Attributes: Nobility, spiritual aspiration, honor and self-esteem. Magnetic, tense, powerful, healing, spiritual, meditative, religious, royal and divine. Medically, it cools the nerves and is antiseptic.
• Characteristics: Purple personalities strive to better themselves spiritually, mentally and emotionally. They are voracious readers, constantly seeking knowledge, particularly in tales of the lives of others. Wanting a greater spiritual connection, they love the subjects of theology and religion. Thus armed, they love to spread their findings to others to help them on their spiritual paths.
Being perfectionists, they are prone to self-sabotage by being overly critical of themselves. In an extreme form, those who like the muted shades of purple can become religious zealots who feel the God given right to judge others and mete out retribution. The search for spirit is lost in their fanaticism.
Those who favor darker purple work to find inner peace and love and a connection to God or their higher power. As givers, they are fine friends as they don't seem to ask much for themselves. If they do seek help from another and are not clear in their desire, they may resent the fact that their request is not forthcoming. They can develop a hard-done-by attitude in this case. Over-functioner resenting under-functioner.
Pink:
Attributes: Peace, love, friendship, compassion, relaxation. Gentle emotions and unions. Overcoming evil, honor, morality, friendship and success.
Characteristics: People who love the color pink either seek or already enjoy a peaceful state of grace or bliss. They smile constantly which can sometimes irk others who are not in the same space. These people try to see and bring out the best in others, truly loving everyone. If they don't believe someone is essentially good, then you can be sure there is a valid reason they would conclude this.
Pink people are very intelligent and contemplative. They study, analyze the best way to go about something before they take action. They may appear slow as a result, but are merely methodical in their thoughts and hard working.. Sometimes overly optimistic, these people tend to look younger than their years. They view the world in such a positive light it can be dazzling. Shy, they would like to be more active but fear precipitous action, choosing not to make mistakes because they do not wish to be judged unfairly by others. Humor is a tool pink people use to make others happy although they may not be rautious or ribald, instead possessing a dry wit.
Magenta
When we are feeling despondent and worried about our condition, or are feeling angry and frustrated, magenta draws us our out of this attitude and lets our spirits soar. It is a spiritual colour but also with practical overtones, associated with a compassion, support, and kindness.
From a negative perspective, magenta, like violet, makes us desire to be lifted out of the demanding world and avoid challenges. It can also be too relaxing. So avoid magenta if you are chronically depressed or introverted.
White:
The colour of ultimate purity is white. It is an all-round colour of protection, bringing peace and comfort, alleviating emotional shock and despair, and helping inner cleansing of emotions, thoughts and spirit. If you need time and space to reflect on your life, white can give you a feeling of freedom and uncluttered openness. Too much white, however, can be cold and isolating, because white separates us from other people.
Attributes: Protection, purification, freshness, cold, and potential. Spiritual strength, faith, truth and sincerity. White reflects all light rays and is therefore cooling and restful. It is the sum of all colors.
Characteristics: White is the color of purity, of new snow or heavenly light. Despite outward appearances, those who favor white may have flaws not apparent to others. They observe others and camoflage themselves in their environment, seeing themselves as special and above it all. Sometimes these people show a false sense of shyness, waiting to be noticed so that they may express their very outspoken thoughts.
Regardless of their behavior, white people express a virginal attitude and are known for this by others. They examine others critically while not making them feel judged. Once approved, they tend to be happy at their appraisal. White personalities are reluctant to discuss their beliefs with others despite firmly holding to their beliefs. They are confident and assured in their self-awareness which is not to say they are not pleased when another acknowledges their beliefs as truth. Self-importance then, is integral to their personality and can be both a positive attribute or negative depending on the individual.
Black:
This colour is both comforting, protective, and mysterious. It is associated with silence, the infinite, and the feminine life force - passive, uncharted, and mysterious. Black can also prevent us from growing and changing. We often cloak ourselves in black to hide from the world.
Attributes: Negativity or the removal of negativity. Outer space, the universe, night. Fertility, wisdom, sadness, mourning, loss, death, discord, confusion, fear and evil. Black is the absence of colors, absorbing all the light of the spectrum.
Characteristics: Black personalities are methodical statisticians who want every thing done in detail. The make fine accountants and tax IRS auditors and collection agents. They always finish what they begin. Although not leaders, under direction, they are hard-working fixers who zero in on the essence of any problem. They tenaciously love to find the mistakes and faults of others like detectives or puzzle fans.
People who like black hold things inside and do not want to be touched. They put a barrier between themselves and others, keeping their strength inside so that they can better protect their emotions. They want no one to take advantage of their sensitivity despite their wish to be part of the world around them.
For many, black is a 'comfort' color, making them feel at ease and when necessary, allows them to hide from world. The 'evil' aspects of black are largely and historically religious in nature in our western culture. Other people use black for celebration and marriage attire. The irony is that we wear black to funerals but also to the most elevated of formal affairs.
Gray
Associated with independence, self-reliance, self-control, gray acts as a shield from outside influence. However, gray generally has a negative feeling - thick gray clouds, fog, and smoke. Gray is the colour of evasion and noncommitment since it is neither black nor white. It relates to walling everything off, remaining separate, uncommitted, and uninvolved, inevitably leading to loneliness. It also denotes self-criticism.
Silver
Silver is the colour of the moon, which is ever-changing. It relates to the feminine principle and the emotional, sensitive aspect of the mind. It balances, harmonizes, and is mentally cleansing.
Gold
Like yellow, gold is associated with the sun and is therefore related to abundance and power, higher ideals, wisdom, and understanding. It is mentally revitalizing, engergizing, and inspiring, and helpful for fear, uncertainty, and lack of interest. Pale gold is excellent for depression and sharpens the mind.
Brown
The colour of Mother Earth, brown brings a sense of stability, alleviating insecurity. However, it also relates to bottling up of emotion, a retreat from and a fear of the outside world, and also narrow-mindedness. This often results from a lack of self-worth.
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Psychology of Colours
Color defines our world and gives definition to the objects around us. In nature you will find a greater variety of color than man can possibly create. The human reaction to color is based on natures symbolism but the human psyche is what interprets these colors and gives them meaning.
Colors are usually divided into three primary colors red, yellow and blue. These are then accented by three secondary colors purple, green, and orange. The secondary colors can be create by combining the primary colors.
Color is another component of naturopathy, which is applied to relieve stress-induced physical and psychological disorders. Colors, among many other things, influence our moods and behavior. Every color is said to have a specific emotional effect on people. For example,the blue color is said to have soothing and calming effect on our nerves. And the yellow color stimulates our intellect.
Therapists use these color aspects to restore our mind-spirit balance and to stimulate the healing processes in body. Color with acupuncture is used as the method of color puncture for clearing emotional and energy (chi/Qi/life force) blockages restoring healthy energy in stressed out mind-body.
From time immemorial, colors have been credited with miraculous healing powers. Sages of ancient India discovered how the unique vibration of each color could help heal ailments, and this knowledge was later codified in the Atharva Veda, ancient Indian scripture, as Surya Kiran Chikitsa—healing with the sun's rays. In the Egypt of yore, temples had special healing rooms where the sun dispersed the seven colors of the rainbow. Today, this ancient healing technique is making a popular comeback under the quasi-scientific label of chromotherapy.
Three colour personality types
Research conducted around the world shows that there are three colour personality types in the world - colour leaders, colour moderates and colour neutrals. Understanding the characteristics of colour personalities is the first step of mastering the language of colour. Using this one can understand how colours can be used to influence people.
Colour leaders are people always willing to welcome new colours into their surroundings and can be recognised as the one wearing a suit in the latest colour that season. There must be modern furniture and decor inside the leader's house and such people have to have the best in everything. From the point of view of psychology colour leaders have very high self-esteem, inclined to adventure and are not scared of new ideas. Youngsters who are generally seen experimenting with the wildest hair colours or radical outfits fall under this category.
If you are a colour moderate, don't worry. So is half the world's population. Moderates tend to go for proven trends and combine new colours with traditional ones. Usually practical and well-informed people, they want the changes to be functional and useful over a long period of time. On the other hand, the only way to make a neutral change his or her favourite colour is to put a gun against his or her head.
These people have determined their own likes and dislikes long ago, and adhere to their own style. If their favourite blue blazer has been worn out, they will go and buy a new one but of the same blue colour again. They are faithful and loyal adherents to things they like and very rarely change their tastes.
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