Color is something that is constantly in our lives that is not really consciously thought about. When watching a professor give a lecture, do you really take the time to think about what color the background of the powerpoints are, or the color of the text? Color is all around us and we cannot escape from it. It has always interested me that people with synethesia (crossing of the senses) can associate colors with emotions, moods, and even sounds. Often these associations are very similar across individuals (within a culture). Is there a reason your favorite color is blue? Why does blue mean sad? Why did you buy a green guitar? Is color culturally specific? I have always been interested in questions like these.
http://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/index.html
This is a rather extensive international survey about color including information about associations, preferences, education, and even preferences for online activities. This is a study published in the form of a webpage as opposed to a traditional journal article, which is in view, easier to both view, find pertinent information, and navigate. Color is the hue, lightness, and saturation of any object. Isaac Newton was the first person who laid a scientific foundation about color by showing that a prism could break up normal light into a full range of colors which he dubbed the "spectrum". The spectrum was continuous, but decided to use seven color names by analogy with the seven notes of our musical scale. (Red, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Indigo, and Violet)
Color is actually much more complicated than I had previously thought; it has complicated mathematical ways to measure it. Light and the creation of colors are also very intricate. After detailing all you need to know about colors, it lays out the methods using clear precise tables and graphs. A number of things were laid out and people were asked to choose what color represented what to them. The first item trust was curious to me, most people said blue at 34% then white at 21%, I definitely would have said white. This was interesting to me because I thought blue represented sadness. Regardless of my take, blue dominated all positive characteristics, and was virtually nonexistent on negative. It is no wonder that blue is by far people's favorite color. Another interesting point was that red dominated fear and terror but also courage and bravery.
Peoples favorite colors weighed in at
Blue 42%
Purple 14%
Green 14%
Red 8%
Black 7%
Orange 5%
Yellow 3%
Brown 3%
Grey 2%
White 2%
A lot of good information is contained within this research, though it didn't have as much emotion/personality connection as the link advertised, it was still an interesting and useful site.
It's weird to stop and think about colors and the roles they play in our daily lives. First of all, it's too bewildering to consider how we have such an amazing cognitive ability to perceive all sorts of color schemes, and subsequently associate emotions with those various colors. But what came first, the chicken or the egg? Has society conditioned us to equate colors with different moods, or do we all share some universal coding that causes colors to provoke different emotions? I would say he have become conditioned to feel different sensations when provided with different colors. Unfortunately, it's gotten to the point where color can have detrimental effects, both on an individual basis and social. Take, for example, gangs: If you venture into the "Bloods" gang territory and you're wearing red, there is a chance you will turn into a victim of gang violence. On a lighter note, if you're a women attending a weeding as a guest, it is seen as disrespectful to wear white. The same rules apply for anyone attending a funeral. These restrictive behaviors were established via societal norms and ethical standards. In eastern countries it is actually more socially appropriate to wear white attire at funerals or in times of mourning - the complete opposite than in the United States. Although most people might physically see the same colors, there is no way to ascribe across all cultures relative feelings or emotions to specific colors. The symbolic meaning of color will invariably stay different across cultures.
- Here's a link to a site that highlights the symbolic functions of colors across varying countries.
http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/1-13-2005-64166.asp
As far as my favorite color, I'm all about the natural earth tones, such as green and brown; a combination thereof is twice as beautiful.