Colour psychology – the effect of colours (2024)

Black, white and grey: what is the effect of achromatic colours?

Colour psychologyrefers to colours as "achromatic" if they have neither a certain colour shade nor saturation. They differ from each other solely in terms of their brightness value. The degree of brightness results in greyscales. These include black, white and all grey shades.

Black
Black is a "non-colour" because it absorbs all the frequencies of light. Black divides people's opinions and can have different effects and trigger different emotions, depending on the culture. Black stands for darkness and grief, but also for sophistication, seriousness and discipline. Depending on the context, black can appear elegant, sublime and timeless and make a very bright colour look more elegant.

White
White symbolises peace, clarity, purity and innocence. In physical terms, the light spectrum of white consists of many different colours in a colour range. It is therefore often associated with divinity and perfection. Western cultures have no negative associations with white. But in China, white has another significance, where it is the colour of grief and death. White can therefore also stand for new beginnings and rebirth, as every beginning is as white as a blank sheet of paper.

Grey
Grey is the colour of objectivity, neutrality and reticence and is often associated with boredom and insecurity. Grey appears distinguished, subtle and purist; in combination with other colours, it can also be elegant. Grey can make other colours appear brighter and is therefore an ideal combination colour.

Colour psychology – the effect of colours (2024)

FAQs

Colour psychology – the effect of colours? ›

Bright, warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows) stimulate energy and happiness while cool, subdued colors (blues, greens, purples) are soothing and calming. Bright, warm colors are best in rooms for entertaining like dining rooms or kitchens, while cool colors work best in relaxing spaces like bedrooms or even bathrooms.

What is Carl Jung's color theory? ›

One of Jung's theories was the classification of psychological personality types linked to four colours: red, blue, green and yellow. These colours were placed in a grid with X and Y axes. X represents the line between Introversion and Extroversion, Y represents the line between Thinking and Feeling.

What is Goldstein's color theory? ›

Goldstein (1942) expanded on Goethe's intuitions, positing that certain colors (e.g., red, yellow) produce systematic physiological reactions manifest in emotional experience (e.g., negative arousal), cognitive orientation (e.g., outward focus), and overt action (e.g., forceful behavior).

What are the emotional effects of Colour perception colour psychology? ›

Hues such as red, orange and yellow are seen, in addition to their warmth, as exciting and stimulating, whereas hues such as blue, turquoise and green are seen, in addition to their induced coolness, as calming and relaxing.

What are the 4 color personality types? ›

In the book Surrounded by Idiots, colors are used to break down the most common personalities into four categories: Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue. Red and Yellow personalities are considered to be extroverted, while the Green and Blue personalities are introverted.

What does psychology say about colors? ›

According to color theory, colors can soothe emotional problems. Also known as chromotherapy or color healing, color theory suggests that specific colors and their frequencies have a physiological and psychological impact on your feelings and behavior.

What color causes anxiety? ›

Colors like red and orange increase anxiety and stress, sometimes even fear. Red and orange are associated with an emergency that can elicit images of emergency vehicles with their lights and sirens on.

What color is the happiest? ›

Yellow is usually the color of happy, joyful emotions. But according to a new study, not all people associate the sunshiney shade with good vibes.

What is the color of empathy? ›

Soft Purple and Lilac

These colors often evoke feelings of compassion and kindness. They link closely to spirituality and mindfulness, aligning with empathetic understanding. Soft purples are frequently used in branding and design for mental health services, holistic wellness, and community-centric initiatives.

What's the most welcoming color? ›

Specifically, colors such as beige, grey, and white can capture that welcoming feeling. In the case of the color white, specifically creamy white gives a room an attractive look and pleasant atmosphere.

What is the color theory of Rudolf Steiner? ›

Steiner connects the four colours in a circle: from black — the mind's image of the dead (mineral kingdom) — to green, the dead image of the living (plant kingdom) — to peach blossom — the living image of the soul (kingdom of the soul) — to white — the soul's image of the mind (kingdom of the mind) — and finally from ...

What is the cognitive color theory? ›

Color cognition can be affected by cultures of colors, such as color preference. Interactions among three hierarchies including six factors determine how people cognize colors. In addition, influence of language can be found in both cognitive-intelligent level and social-cultural level.

What is the most relaxing color? ›

Blue is the Most Relaxing Colour, Scientists Say.

What color makes you hungry? ›

The color yellow elicits a feeling of comfort, while red tends to make people feel more hungry and impulsive. Marketing experts refer to the pairing of yellow and red as the "Ketchup and Mustard Theory."

What color represents love? ›

2- Because of its link with desire and passion, red is the colour of love. Red is a confident and bold colour that evokes sentiments of enthusiasm and energy. We associate red with passion and intensity, which is why it is the ideal colour to convey love on Valentine's Day.

What is Carl Jung's theory explain? ›

The core of Carl Jung's theory system was the belief that the whole of the individual's experience should be respected and included, rather than aspects being pathologised or disavowed; this included the individual's unwanted 'shadow' aspects – such as, for example, their aggressive, envious, destructive qualities, as ...

What does the color theory represent? ›

While the information contained here might seem just a bit overwhelming, color theory is as much about the feeling a particular shade evokes than anything else. But here's a quick reference guide for the common meanings of the colors discussed above: Red: Passion, Love, Anger. Orange: Energy, Happiness, Vitality.

What is color theory theory? ›

Color theory is a concept used in visual arts and design that explains how colors interact with each other and how they can be combined to create certain feelings, moods, and reactions.

What did Carl Jung's color therapy allow his patients to do? ›

Then in the early 20th century, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung researched how colour affects the human psyche. Ultimately, Jung created colour therapy, allowing his patients to communicate via colour and imagery. Nowadays, the main applications of colour psychology are marketing, business, and advertising.

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