The Psychology of Color
Diane Ackerman discusses the trees changing color and why we see this as a part of her analysis of vision in The Natural History of the Senses, and this section of the book really captured my interest, as I have always found color to be extremely intriguing. I had a childhood friend who was red green colorblind, and I could not wrap my head around his inability to distinguish between these two colors that seemed so different to me. In my mind, if I could see them, how could he not? Since then, I have realized that in fact our individual perceptions of the world can differ wildly, but as a child, it seemed so unlikely that my friend and I could see the world so differently.
In class on Tuesday, we discussed color and the mechanism of how we see it. Essentially, we see whatever color an object is not, whichever color is reflected back instead of absorbed. We also briefly touched on the association between colors and emotions, which prompted me to think on this further. For example, we use the term 'feeling blue' to describe being sad or down. Red is associated with passion and impulsivity, and red cars are ticketed more often than any other color. Yellow is the color of sunshine and happiness. These associations are ingrained in each of us, but I am curious as to whether this is a social construct or something physical that each color actually invokes. This relationship is near impossible to work out though, because this 'color psychology' is so present in our society. Marketing uses these colors to manipulate people into gaining a certain impression of their product, and it works. Very well. Past this however, there is very little data surrounding these relationships, partly because the variables are so mixed up that it is near impossible to separate them.
I am curious about the link between our perception of color (like color blindness) and this seeming emotional response. Are people who perceive the world as more blue heavy then going to be more relaxed? Or will that make them immune to the response that blue induces in people with normal vision? Or is all of this formed by societal norms? It is very strange to think about.
I found a color blindness simulator that was fun to play around with, if anyone is interested.
http://www.color-blindness.com/coblis-color-blindness-simulator/
In class on Tuesday, we discussed color and the mechanism of how we see it. Essentially, we see whatever color an object is not, whichever color is reflected back instead of absorbed. We also briefly touched on the association between colors and emotions, which prompted me to think on this further. For example, we use the term 'feeling blue' to describe being sad or down. Red is associated with passion and impulsivity, and red cars are ticketed more often than any other color. Yellow is the color of sunshine and happiness. These associations are ingrained in each of us, but I am curious as to whether this is a social construct or something physical that each color actually invokes. This relationship is near impossible to work out though, because this 'color psychology' is so present in our society. Marketing uses these colors to manipulate people into gaining a certain impression of their product, and it works. Very well. Past this however, there is very little data surrounding these relationships, partly because the variables are so mixed up that it is near impossible to separate them.
I am curious about the link between our perception of color (like color blindness) and this seeming emotional response. Are people who perceive the world as more blue heavy then going to be more relaxed? Or will that make them immune to the response that blue induces in people with normal vision? Or is all of this formed by societal norms? It is very strange to think about.
I found a color blindness simulator that was fun to play around with, if anyone is interested.
http://www.color-blindness.com/coblis-color-blindness-simulator/
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