We all know that yellow = happy. Blue = sad. Red = angry. Green = envy. But who decided this? Crazy enough, color associations were not researched until recently. A study at the University Hospital South Manchester asked focus groups consisting of healthy, anxious and depressed adults to select the color that matched their mood. Out of a 38 hues, most healthy people chose a shade of yellow.
And apparently saturation matters. "A light blue is not associated with a poor mood, but a dark blue is. The shade of color is more important than the color itself." They're planning to use this knowledge to work with children and other patients who have trouble communicating verbally. They're saying it might be a better way of learning a patient's emotions instead of asking questions.
Now that I'm getting back into painting, I do find that I'm drawn to certain colors more than others, depending on my mood. So if you ever see a dark grey piece of work come out of me... stay far away!
What color do you associate with happiness? What color are you feeling today?
