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the relationship between color and mood
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Over the years, researchers have been studying the power of colors to influence every aspect of our life. Furthermore, color has been also employed to describe mood. Some frequently expressions employed when a person is feeling sad is to describe it as “feeling blue” or when a person falls in love is common to hear that this person view the world through “rose-colored glasses.” To be “green with envy” refers to a very jealous person or to “be pure as the snow” describe the innocence of a child. Research has been made to study how color affects the mood of people. I consider interesting to extend these studies to examine if color has the effect of increasing positive mood on students. This experiment may contribute to determine what colors help students to feel relaxed, active or positive.
Research has found the major powerful effects colors can have on our mood, brain, body and even affect one’s health. An article released by the BioMed Central Medical Research Methodology, published the results of 156 patients consisting of 127 females and 29 males who participated in this study. Each one of the patients has respond questions such as: "With regard to your day-to-day mood over the last few months, do you associate it with a particular color? If so, which color?" The researchers developed an instrument called Manchester Color Wheel to classify colors into positive, neutral and negative shades that were administered to the patients. According to the MCW chart positives or neutral colors were represented with yellow, pink, red shades and negative colors were represented with black, grey, blue or purple shades. After a 3 month period the data was analyzed and found that patients consistently associated warm colors with positive e...
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...BMC medical research methodology, 10(1), 12.
Gage, J. (1999). Colour and meaning. University of California Pr.
Gerritsen, Frans. Theory and Practice of Color: a Color Theory Based on Laws of
Perception. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1975. Print.
Jacobs, K. W., & Suess, J. F. (1975). Effects of four psychological primary colors on anxiety state. Perceptual and motor skills, 41(1), 207-210
Labrecque, L. I., & Milne, G. R. (2012). Exciting red and competent blue: the importance of color in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 40(5), 711-727.
Osgood, C.E., Suci, G., & Tannenbaum, P. (1957). The measurement of meaning (Vol. 47). University of Illinois Press.
Peretti, P. O. (1974). Color-mood associations in young adults. Perceptual and motor skills, 39(2), 715-718.
Simmons, D. R. (2011). Colour and emotion. New directions in colour studies, 395-414
Smith, Kate. "Origin of the Word: BLUE - Sensational Color." Color Advice and Insights from
During the event I learned a variety of information that relates to our biology and human relation classes. Through this seminar I was taught that our personalities are all related to neurology and that each person has more prominent personalities. The left side of the brain is the side that associates with the facts, data, order, and logic. On the other side of the brain, the right half of our brain is associated with creativity, ‘big pictures’, and independence. Finally, the event taight me to be satisfied with my personality color and to embrace my stregths and weaknesses.
Kaya, Naz. Epps, Helen H. "Relationship Between Color And Emotion: A Study Of college Students." College Student Journal 38.3 (2004): 396-405. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
The romantic red effect is the concept of men being more attractive and having more sexually desires for women that are wearing red. This effect fits within the color-in-context theory because the perception of the color red has many meanings. (*or women see other women wearing red, they do not feel the same way as men) The color-in-context is concept that states that a color can have different implications based on the various contexts. The color red acts as an aphrodisiac, which is a sexual desire, because it supports romance within heterosexual interplay. The color red might have different effects in various situations depending on how they perceive it. For some, the color red could automatically be linked to failure. Others may see red
Koller, V., (2008), ‘Not just a colour’: pink as a gender and sexuality marker in visual communication, Visual Communication, I (4) November p.401.
However, because this claim is based on subjective reports and has never been verified with objective measures, it was Rothen and Meier’s (2010) aim to test whether there really is a higher prevalence of grapheme-color synesthesia in artists. Their sample was a group of fine-art students. Participants were individually presented with 36 graphemes (A^Z; 0^9), one at a time, in random order. Each grapheme was accompanied, on the same screen, by a palette of 13 basic colors, the same each time but randomly arranged on each trial. Participants were required to select the ‘best’ color for each grapheme. After an initial presentation, an immediate surprise retest followed, in which the graphemes were presented again in a re-randomized order. The consistency score was calculated as the number of identical grapheme-color associations. In simpler terms, they showed a number on the screen then the participants picked which color suited the number best from a palette. They were then tested again in a different order and a consistency score was calculated to verify the participant had synesthesia. They found the proportion of synesthetes was significantly higher for the art students (seven synesthetes in the art students group, two in the control) (Rothen & Meier, 2010).
We are visual creatures. Colors are a ubiquitous part of our lives and every visual stimulus contains color information. Our moods, thoughts, and behaviors are subliminally influenced by what we see and the array of colors that make up what surround us. We are able to detect 16.7 million different colors (Barker, E., 2004). We use color to know when to stop and go, which fruits and vegetables to buy, and what clothes to wear when going to a sports game. These daily practices create preconceived associations with colors. For example, yellow is sunny and happy, blue is sad, red is angry, etc. Yet, in what context do these correlations change, and how does color affect us on a subliminal level? Does yellow signify happiness because one grew up to believe it does, or does it, in fact, make one feel happier? It is certain that color, one way or another, affects us.
Harrell, C. P. J., Floyd, L. J., & Bell, S. R. Psychophysiological methods: enduring value to research within black psychology.
Eliot, Lise. Pink Brain, Blue Brain. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2009. Print.
Husain, G, Schellenberg, G & Thompson, W. (2002). Effects of Musical Tempo and Mode on Arousal, Mood, and Spatial Abilities. Music Perception, 20(2), 151-171. Retrieved from http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3psygs/Husain.pdf
Murrock, C. J., & Higgins, P.A. (2009). The theory of music, mood and movement to improve health outcomes. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65(10), 2249-2257.
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. (2012). Marketing management (14th ed., Global ed.). Boston, [Mass.: Pearson.
This figure shows adult/elderly, multicultural, and psychopathologic responses about their color preferences from 25 different color studies. Elderly and psychopathologic people hardly strayed from the normal responses. (Schatz , and Bowers 21- 27)
The human brain is attracted to the presence of color and it leaves a satisfying feeling when it is perceived.(The Psychology of Color—How Color Affects Human Behavior) This can be applied to an everyday society by helping to improve behavior through the spread of colorful graffiti. Color not only attracts the attention of the brain, but it also leaves a lasting impact because of its uniqueness and difference between the norm.(The Psychology of Color—How Color Affects Human Behavior)
Have you ever wondered why yellow makes you irritated? Why purple makes you feel happy? Why green calms you? Why orange helps you feel energized? Many people think that colors are just colors. But in reality, colors have been useful throughout the years as they have an huge impact on our lives. Many of us need to be aware of colors that surround us in everyday life.