Color Symbolism describes the use of color as a symbol throughout cultures and religions.

Cultural contexts of colors

Listed below are some common cultural (symbolic) connotations attached to colors in Western cultures, particularly in the United States. These are not necessarily consistent with color psychology: Color psychology is a field of study devoted to analyzing the effect of color on human behavior and feeling, distinct from phototherapy (the use of ultraviolet light to cure infantile jaundice). ...

Various cultures see color differently. In India, blue is associated with Krishna (a very positive association), green with Islam, red with purity (used as a wedding color) and white with mourning. In most Asian cultures, yellow is the imperial color with many of the same cultural associations as purple in the west. In China, red is symbolic of celebration, luck and prosperity; white is symbolic of mourning and death, while "having a green hat" metaphorically means a man’s wife is cheating on him. In Europe colors are more strongly associated with political parties than they are in the U.S. In many countries black is synonymous with conservatism, red with socialism, while brown is still immediately associated with the Nazis. Many believe that blue is universally the best color as it has the most positive and fewest negative cultural associations across various cultures. The symbolism of colour can also be seen in localised religious divisions, in the UK and Northern Ireland for example, cities such as Liverpool, Glasgow and Belfast where Catholic and Protestant have a history of conflict, the use green (Catholicism) or Orange (Protestantism) are seen as almost taboo by opposing socioreligious groups. Gray (Gy) is the derived SI unit for absorbed dose, specific energy and kerma (kinetic energy in matter). ... White is the color of things that reflect light of all parts of the visible spectrum equally and are not dull (see grey). ... Some organizations are called black when they keep a low profile, like Sociétés Anonymes and secret societies. ... Red may be any of a number of similar colours at the lowest frequencies of light discernible by the human eye. ... The term Blue may refer any of a number of similar colors. ... Green is a color with many different shades, all within a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nm. ... Yellow is any color of light that stimulates both the red and green cone cells of the retina, but not the blue cone cells. ... The term purple in its widest sense refers to a wide variety of shades of color occurring between blue and red. ... The colour orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum at a wavelength of about 585–620 nanometres. ... The color brown is a dark red or orange of very low intensity. ... The term Blue may refer any of a number of similar colors. ... Krishna with Radharani, 18th C Rajasthani painting Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, in IAST ), according to various Hindu traditions, is the eighth avatar of Vishnu. ... Green is a color with many different shades, all within a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nm. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the Quran, its principal scripture, whose followers, known as Muslims (مسلم), believe God (Arabic: الله ) sent through revelations to Muhammad. ... Red may be any of a number of similar colours at the lowest frequencies of light discernible by the human eye. ... White is the color of things that reflect light of all parts of the visible spectrum equally and are not dull (see grey). ... Yellow is any color of light that stimulates both the red and green cone cells of the retina, but not the blue cone cells. ... Red may be any of a number of similar colours at the lowest frequencies of light discernible by the human eye. ... White is the color of things that reflect light of all parts of the visible spectrum equally and are not dull (see grey). ... The term Blue may refer any of a number of similar colors. ...

Studies have shown most colors have more positive than negative associations, and even when a color has negative association, it is normally only when used in a particular context.

People in many cultures have an automatic negative perception of the color black, according to some researchers^[1]. Thomas Gilovich and Mark Frank found that sports teams with primarily black uniforms were significantly more likely to receive penalties in historical data. Students were more likely to infer negative traits from a picture of a player wearing a black uniform. They also taped staged football matches, with one team wearing black and another wearing white. Experienced referees were more likely to penalize black-wearing players for nearly identical plays. Finally, groups of students tended to prefer more aggressive sports if wearing black shirts themselves.

Criticism

Most evidence suggests the lack of a single, universal psychological reaction to a particular color. For example, death is symbolized by black in most Western cultures and by white in many Eastern cultures. Even members of the same culture from different age groups can act differently. Referencing colors with emotions is developed by every individual when they feel an emotion and then see a color repeated during this time. After the connection is ingrained, the referencing can go both ways.

Reasons for Color Association

Black is often seen as the 'color' of death in Western culture. This is likely because when things die the rotting flesh will turn black, and it is also the color of wood after fire has completely consumed it. Black is also the 'color' of the unknown, since darkness hinders vision. The association of white with death in Eastern cultures could come from the white cloth used to enshoud corpses, for example Egyptian mummys, or the stark whiteness of bones and skeletons. Red is often a color representing violence, war, aggression, or passion; this is probably because red is the color of human blood. alskdfjwo i ashwehtio ajhowu awao;dfklashngahn A mummy is a corpse whose skin and dried flesh have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or airlessness. ...

References

1. ^ Frank, M. G. & perception: Black uniforms and aggression in professional sports. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 74-83.

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