Colour psychology

What’s in the colour?

It’s interesting to see how much the common youth of today hang out for fast foods in the famous brand outlets of MacDonald or KFC and often fail to interpret how they are often manipulated by the brand itself. Colour interpretation has been revolving around the field of psychology for quite some time. It is often, a tool used to study emotional behavior, personality differences and traits of human beings. Earlier studies have revealed various aspects of colour psychology like the difference in personality based on breadth and constancy of choice. The three major aspects of colour psychology involve the biological cues, the aesthetic values and traditional symbolism of colour.

It’s interesting to learn that many people without the prior knowledge of colour symbolism, often gives their own interpretation based on their relative perception about the colors. We should also keep in mind that colour symbolism is never constant and in all probability this is the reason behind the generation of interest of colour psychology. It also depends on personal experiences, culture and the religious background. The traditional symbolism assigned proposes red as the colour of light and blood, yellow to be representing anger and fire, black as the colour of depression and earth and white as the colour of water, although practical studies reveal a different story.

Colour also plays an important role in biological mating. It is more often seen in the wild while identifying their fellow mating partners or to define their own territory. It is known that Thrushes use orange colour throat of their young ones as identifying cues and Blue jays identify their fellow jays by their bright blue wing colour. Similarly, in the more civilized primates such as humans, colors often induce a feeling of attraction towards the opposite sex. Although the entire biology is not a full proof but it is said that the colour perceived is read by the hypothalamus, which further sends signals to thyroid to act as a response.

In a survey carried out among college going students prior to this writing revealed a lot about what the youth thinks and perceives of various colors. People were asked to name 3 of their favorite colors in order of preference and also mention the motions or feelings they usually attach to them. 80% of the participants whose one of the favorite colors were red related it with love, passion and anger. Little did they know that red is used by leading fast food brand outlets because, it is often symbolized as an appetizer. It stimulates appetite. No wonder why MacDonald has a red background with a yellow ‘m’. Blue came out to be the most optimistic colour around. Participants told that blue was indeed the colour of positivity, happiness and a feeling of content and satisfaction. A symbol they used for royalty and loyalty. Blue is predominantly preferred by the males and is often associated with increased energy and efficiency in work. White is the universal colour for peace and calmness, but there were participants who believed white to be sensuous. Green was more often than not related to negativity, being rebellious and envying others. The eco-friendly colour indeed is not believed much friendlier to a group of people. Pink, generally considered to be feminine too was associated with innocence and having a childish spree. And last but not the least, the master colour Black associated itself with the other side of negativity, one which had to with something being labeled as sexy and secretive. It just affirms the fact, that black is indeed the most outrageous colour of all. The one, which holds mystery, infinity and romance all at the same level. The one that holds the inner demons and which defines a moment of weakness. It is interesting to know that every time we buy a product, we are often influenced by their colour and marketing (for the company/brand) just becomes easier. It has been proved that the decision making time to buy a product is only 60-90 seconds and 62-90% of the customers are influenced by the colour although which means that more of than not we end up buying it.

So from the next time, people go shopping or end up in bed with a stranger, just remember that it’s all due to this colourful world we believe in.

Debanjan