Color Psychology And Synesthetes

Imagine you had a condition that allowed you to have a different perception on the world than others. For example, say you experienced a taste every time you heard a certain word or maybe saw a cloud of color every time you heard a sound. Synesthesia is “the neurological phenomenon that couples two or more senses in 4% of the population” (Cytowic, Richard). This means that two or more of the five senses would associate with each other to be used in sync. The five senses, sight, smell, sound, taste and touch can be used; however in the case of chromesthesia, the senses of sight and sound are combined. With these two combined senses and what we know about color psychology, synesthetes are affected emotionally because of their altered perception of the world.

The colors that they see could possibly even affect their mood, which begins to relate to the psychology of colors. Color psychology is the study of different colors and how they affect emotions and create reactions within people. Riley Johnson, a junior high school student, even conducted experiments to see how different colors influenced moods and choices. She would constitute and copy a drawing, then alter their color scheme whether it was the entire monochrome palette or just one color. With these pictures, Johnson would ask participants questions such as, “which one looks more appetizing?” or “which picture looks more calming?” (Johnson, Riley). Johnson was able to predict the participants’ answers because of the psychological effects that the colors