The French painter Marc Chagall used to say that colors are life and we cannot deny him the reason, they are part of our daily lives. ANDn everything that surrounds us there is color and a psychological symbolism that many are determined to decipher. Precisely, color psychology takes care of it, to investigate the meanings, nuances and impressions of colors.
What do they evoke and where do they lead us? Why do we choose one color or another to dress or decorate our room? And even, how to convey a sensation from the colors of a logo or a brand?
Colors They speak to us, even if we don’t hear them. They have their own language. Painters and creative artists understand this very well, they are your great allies. Even the world of marketing and fashion are also interested in them. Hence throughout history Different studies and research have been carried out to explain how they influence us. We see it below in this article by the psychologist Gema Sanchez.
Color psychology: what is it?
Color psychology is a field of study that analyzes how we perceive colors and how they influence our emotions and behavior. Although there are more and more studies, it is true that there are several subjective aspects, which is why some consider color psychology as a pseudoscience.
The interest in the universe of colors comes from long ago. For example, the Egyptians believed that they had healing properties and that through them certain emotional and conscious states could be favored.
However, it was really Goethe one of the first to be interested in the analysis of color from a psychological perspective. In fact, he formulated his own color theory, in opposition to Newton’s physical vision. In it, he affirmed that color also depended on our perception, in which the brain and the sense of sight were involved, but it was quite criticized by science, since it had no scientific basis.
“Upon coming into contact with a certain color, it is immediately synchronized with the human spirit, producing a decided and important effect on the state of mind.”
(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Now, he was the scientist, physicist and artist Edwin D. Babbitt who unknowingly developed the psychology of color. He developed a theory in which he related specific colors to a series of conditions. His works are recognized today by a large number of sectors, although this field has come a long way since then.
In fact, some 200 years later, the psychologist and sociologist Eva Heller published one of the most interesting books on the subject: Color psychology: how colors act on feelings and reason. Everything he mentions in it is taken from a study in which he consulted 2000 people from different professions from all over Germany and which we will talk about later.
Currently, It is the field of marketing that focuses the most on the perception of color and its influence.
Do colors influence emotions?
“Colour is a means to directly influence the soul,” said Wassily Kandisky. Today it is recognized that the color is much more than an optical effect, since stimulates the brain in different ways.
Each color has its own meaning and impacts the brain in a certain way. In fact, the Harvard University Medicine Unit has shown that red light reassures and promotes alertness and sharp performance, while blue light is able to excite the brain and activate us.
That is why the field of marketing shows so much interest in the psychology of color, as a tool to support itself in achieving its objectives. For example:
- Colors can influence our actions. In the study Exciting red and competent blue It is stated that colors influence both purchase intention and brand friendliness and familiarity. Thus, depending on the colors of the logo or the brand itself, we feel a greater preference for one or the other.
According to the study Impact of color in marketing, 90% of the snap judgments we make about products are based on color.
- The colors are related to our well-being and attitude. Another study states that color spaces in work environments positively affect the performance, productivity and well-being of workers, with green being the color that provided the most benefits.
As we can see, colors influence us much more than we think. And in this influence, the context is a determining factor, according to Eva Heller, since makes us connect with different meanings. For example, red is not the same in a dress as it is on a wall, a painting or a cosmetic product.
Now that we know that colors can include how we feel, we will take a tour of the most relevant characteristics and data of the best-known colors, basing ourselves in the research of the psychologist and sociologist Eva Heller. Let’s start!