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jpena's picture

Color and Emotion

I've been interested in the ways colors affect human emotions for a while. Are humans socially conditions to have certain emotional responses to certain colors or is it a function of the brain? In advertising colors are used to stimulate specific emotions in the target audience. For example, blues and greens are meant to be calming or relaxing, while reds, oranges, and yellows are used to stimulate excitement and sometimes hunger as in the fast food example. If many people are affected by colors in the same way does that indicate a biological response or a socially conditioned response? The idea that different people see colors differently could also complicate this issue. If two people see the color red completely differently will they both have the same response to an advertisement using reds to influence the audience? Could this be tested? A comparison of cultural differences in response to certain colors might give some insight into whether responses are biological or socially conditioned.

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