The meaning of colors can be seen in their symbolic power. In the modern English-speaking world, where superstition has largely faded in the light of scientific knowledge, many colors retain their ancient associations.
Most people know that brides wear white, that seeing red means being angry, and that one can feel green with envy, but they don't know why.
Red has many meanings in different cultures, including life, health, vigor, war, courage, anger, love and religious fervor. The common thread is that passion is required.
In moments of rage, lust or embarrassment, bright red oxygenated blood rushes to the skin as a response to your sympathetic nervous system. There are many theories as to why human and non-human species have evolved this trait, however many center their conclusions around asserting dominance or appearing more attractive to a potential mate, according to the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.
The colour red has been found to impact the world of sport. Several soccer teams achieved greater match results when they wore predominantly red shirts than when they wore white and blue, according to a study published in the journal Natu re.
Red objects were believed to convey health through their color alone. Most red stones were believed to have health-giving and disease-preventing properties. In Rome and China, children wore red coral as talismans to protect them from diseases, and in China, children always wore a piece of red clothing.
White is synonymous with purity and virtue, which is why it is used in many religious ceremonies. Roman brides wore white tunics to signal a woman's virginity for more than 2,000 years, according to Ohio State University.
Queen Victoria wore a white wedding gown when she wed Prince Albert in 1840. White is not a traditional color for wedding gowns in many Asian cultures, and red and gold are more commonly seen at funeral services, but is a symbol of mourning.
White is the combination of all the colors that are reflected off an object.
Black is often associated with death, fear or sadness according to the Journal of international Colour Association.
Many ancient cultures believed that black was the color of mystery and of the mysterious ways and wisdom of God. The absence of light was the reason why the wisdom of God was thought to be beyond comprehension.
Death may have been the biggest mystery. Ancient people were completely unaware of what would happen to them after death, and so it was represented by the color black in many cultures. The death sharing similarities with sleep was added to by the fact that it happened in the dark of night. Black has been associated with fear and mystery throughout history, such as black magic, black holes, the black plague and so on.
The black is not always synonymous with death and despair in the world of fashion. A study published in the journal Color Research and Application found that black was the favorite color to wear among female study participants.
The symbol of royalty, nobility and imperialism is purple. The symbolism was established by law in many European societies, such as ancient Rome and Elizabethan England, which forbade anyone except close members of the royal family to wear the color.
The cost and rarity of the dye used to produce purple makes it an elite product. The dye was obtained from a small mollusk that was found in a region of the Mediterranean Sea near Tyre, a Phoenician trading city located in modern-day Lebanon. Tyrian purple became associated with the imperial classes of Rome, Egypt and Persia because only wealthy rulers could afford to buy and wear fabrics dyed with the color.
The ancient emperors, kings and queens that wore purple were often considered to be gods or descendants of the gods.
The primary association of the color blue for most of recorded history was with truth, which means that a remnant of the phrase "true blue" can be found in our language.
Blue conveys sadness and despair. You are down in the dumps when you have the blues. The meaning may be related to tears and rain, as water was typically represented in people&s minds as blue.
Research shows that the colour blue has positive effects on people. In Glasgow, Scotland, and Nara, Japan, research found that crime levels decreased in areas with blue streetlights.
The color green is a representation of nature and the environment. The association has a long history.
The Egyptians believed that a god named Thoth led the souls of the dead to a green hill of eternal life and wisdom. In astrology, green is the color of the planet Mercury, which is the planet governing the mind and conferring knowledge knowledge not only of the kind essential to material success, but also inspiring knowledge and heavenly wisdom.
Green is associated with wisdom, but it is also associated with green-eyed jealousy, which is always due to the intrusion of wisdom.
The environment has been attributed to the color green when used to illustrate products or campaigns which support the health of the planet. The Proto-Indo-European people lived around the 4th millenium BC and the word green is from them. It is assumed that green's connection to nature lies in its abundance. The majority of plants naturally produce green-colored pigments called chlorophyll which are the sites for the conversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide into breathable oxygen.
The yellow sun is associated with happiness, warmth and sunshine in most cultures.
In ancient cultures where a god or gods were associated with the sun, yellow was the highest and noblest of colors and thus, the color of religious figures and royals.
The negative meaning of all colors is called a flipside. She wrote that yellow also represents cowardice and deceit.
In many Western cultures orange is used for fun, strength, courage and creativity, and it is similar to red.
In recent history, orange has come to signify a warning and is used for high visibility clothing and safety equipment. Orange is visible against a clear sky because it contrasts most strongly with blue.
The Colors of History: How colors shaped the world is a good place to start.
The review of theoretical and empirical work on color and psychological functioning was written by Andrew Elliot.
The color symbolism and its cognitive cultural message was presented by Naira Gasparyan.
The colours of humanity: the evolution of pigmentation in the human line, was published in the May edition of the Royal Society B.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
