Day 276: The Feeling of Colors

Here’s a quick thought:

Colors convey feelings to people either inherently or through experience. Each culture may have a different feeling for a particular color depending on their customs. But for the most part, we all share some preternatural cue when we see each color. For example, blue can convey calmness, but it can also convey sadness. Red can convey comfort but also excitement. Depending on the context, hue, and vividness of each color, they somehow invoke an emotional response.

Now, my thought is about the root cause of this color effect on humans and probably other animals as well. Do we emotionally react to colors because of the power of the color or because of our personal experiences? I would argue that it’s a combination of both without having any real evidence to support the non-experience motive. There have been psychological studies about the effects of colors on humans; it is a big factor for advertisers when creating commercials and logos. There is evidence that colors have an effect, but I have not seen a study about why colors affect us besides our experiences. E.g., when we see black we could think of a funeral or a villain in a movie. Both of those examples only exist because of our culture. In other cultures, white is worn at a funeral.

If light blue is calming then I must have experienced that color enough times to make that association. Additionally, the rest of the world must have had similar reactions to that color in order to mutually agree that light blue = calmness. Again, are the feelings of colors universal or only based on experiences? How likely is it that a thirty-something man from India has had similar experiences in life as me? If we were able to create a test for any inherent theory, the results would always be skewed because for people to communicate emotions verbally and accurately they would have to be at least seven or eight, and by that time they have experienced a great deal of the world. The only way to find out is to test a young person that has grown up without the internet and has very little exposure to the modern world. But they would also have to have a vocabulary large enough to fully articulate their feelings. It's quite the conundrum.

It is a question that may never be answered. But I do think it’s cool that perhaps different colors of light may have the power to make me feel a certain way just by their nature.

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Author's Note #1: That was supposed to be quicker.