United International University

Report #1

Course Title: Introduction To Psychology

Section: C

Submitted To

Md. Salim Hossain

Lecturer

School of business and economics

United International University

Submitted By

Name Id
Md. Sazzad Hossain 111 142 185
Shaila Sharmin Rumky 111 142 254
Nowshin Shikder Joya 111 133 047
Nusrat Binta Rahim 111 141 239
Rakibul Islam Suvo 111 141 061

Date of Submission: 22.12.2015

Letter of Transmittal

December 22, 2015

Md. Salim Hossain

Lecturer

School of Business

United International University

Subject: Permission of publishing the paper on The psychology of color

Dear Sir,

As part of our fulfillment of requirements for the course Introduction To Psychology in

Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA) degree at United International University
its mandatory to complete a report paper and we have done our paper on 'Psychology of
Color

This paper has been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations that are
required.

In this circumstances stated above we believe that you will give us the permission of
presenting this research paper.

Thank You.

Sincerely,

_____________________

Md. Sazzad Hossain

(On behalf of the team)

Introduction
Psychology of Color, the study of how color affects mood and behavior, is a relatively new
science, and determining the effects, if any, of color has been difficult. Color
influences perceptions that are not obvious, such as the taste of food. Colors can also work as
placebos by having the color of pills be certain colors to influence how a person feels after taking
them. For example, red or orange pills are generally used as stimulants. Another way in which
colors have been used to influence behavior was, in 2000, when the company Glasgow installed
blue street lights in certain neighborhoods which resulted in a reduced crime rate. Color can
indeed influence a person, however it is important to remember that these effects differ between
people. Factors such as gender, age, and culture can influence how an individual perceives color.
For example, males reported that red colored outfits made women seem more attractive, while
women answered that the color of a male's outfit did not affect his attractiveness.

Psychology of color is also widely used in marketing and branding. Many marketers see color as
an important part of marketing because color can be used to influence consumers' emotions and
perceptions of goods and services. Companies also use color when deciding on brand logos.
These logos seem to attract more customers when the color of the brand logo matches the
personality of the goods or services, such as the color pink being heavily used on Victoria's
Secret branding. However, colors are not only important for logos and products, but also for
window displays in stores. Research shows that warm colors tended to attract spontaneous
purchasers, despite cooler colors being more favorable.

Influences of color perception

Perceptions not obviously related to color, such as the palatability of food, may in fact be
partially determined by color. Not only the color of the food itself but also that of everything in
the eater's field of vision can affect this. (Alcaide, J. et al., 2012). Josef Albers' role in the
understanding of color perception was through his research of how colors interact with each
other. He also studied the optical illusions of color and how different hues looked the same. This
was during his tenure at Yale University.

Specific color meaning

Clearly, using color to affect mood and behavior is not an exact science. The variables are too
many, and the differences in response from one individual to the next are too great. Still,
research suggests that some colors may tend to have measurable physiological effects on many
people, if not all.

Culturally-learned meanings of color are also quite powerful, and can be used to subtly affect
mood and behavior in some people. The following list discusses some of the meanings
commonly associated with various colors in the US and other western societies, as well as the
results of scientific study on specific colors where applicable:
 Red: represents danger, warning, or error, but also warmth, love, passion, and intense
emotion. Can also symbolize bravery, war, or blood. Some studies have shown it to
stimulate appetite (which is why there's so much red at McDonald's restaurants) and
improve accuracy on certain tasks.

Pink: the lighter shade of red represents love and romance, as well as femininity. Pink is
generally considered to have a calming effect.

Yellow: this bright, attention-getting color is seen as a sunny, happy color, yet studies have
also shown, paradoxically, that prolonged exposure to it can make adults lose their tempers
and babies cry. Yellow is also the most fatiguing color to the eye.

Blue: seen as having a calming effect. Darker shades of blue (as in police uniforms and
business suits) may suggest reliability and security. The color is also often associated with
sadness. Studies suggest that the color blue can increase productivity and creativity, and
may actually lower body temperature and pulse rate.

Orange: being a combination of yellow and red, orange is also a warm, stimulating and
attention-getting color.

Brown: darker shades of red, yellow and orange are warm, but less stimulating. These
earthy colors can suggest strength and security.

Green: a combination of blue and yellow, this color is generally a physically soothing color
that may simultaneously produce an emotional lift. Green is the color most associated with
nature, and sometimes signifies good luck or money (which may be why at its extreme,
green is associated with envy).
 Purple: associated with royalty, wealth, and luxury, as well as spirituality and wisdom.
Purple can seem exotic, but sometimes overly so. In some instances purple can appear out
of place or even artificial.

White: represents purity, innocence, and goodness (the good guy is the one in the white
hat). White makes a room seem brighter and more spacious, but too much white can have a
sterile, cold effect.

Black: represents death, mourning, and evil (think Darth Vader), but also sophistication, as
in formal wear, and authority, as in a judge's robe.

Gray: literally a "middle-of-the-road" color, gray is a practical, timeless color, but also dull
or even depressing when used in excess. Gray causes the least eye fatigue of any color.

Color preference and association between color and mood

Color has long been used to create feelings of coziness or spaciousness. However, how people
are affected by different color stimuli varies from person to person.
Blue is the top choice for 35% of Americans, followed by green (16%), purple (10%) and red
(9%).
A preference for blue and green may be due to a preference for certain habitats that were
beneficial in the ancestral environment as explained in the aesthetics article.
There is evidence that color preference may depend on ambient temperature. People who are
cold prefer warm colors like red and yellow while people who are hot prefer cool colors like blue
and green.
Some research has concluded that women and men respectively prefer "warm" and "cool" colors.
A few studies have shown that cultural background has a strong influence on color preference.
These studies have shown that people from the same region regardless of race will have the same
color preferences. Also, one region may have different preferences than another region ( a
different country or a different area of the same country), regardless of race.
Children's preferences for colors they find to be pleasant and comforting can be changed and can
vary, while adult color preference is usually non-malleable.
Some studies find that color can affect mood. However, these studies do not agree on precisely
which moods are brought out by which colors.
A study by psychologist Andrew J. Elliot tested to see if the color of a person's clothing could
make them appear more sexually appealing. He found that to men, women dressed in the color
red were significantly more likely to attract romantic attention than women in any other color.
However, for women, the color of one's shirt made no difference in their level of attractiveness.
Despite cross-cultural differences regarding what different colors meant there were cross-cultural
similarities regarding what emotional states people associated with different colors in one study.
For example, the color red was perceived as strong and active.

Light, color and surroundings

Light and color can influence how people perceive the area around them. Different light sources
affect how the colors of walls and other objects are seen. Specific hues of colors seen under
natural sunlight may vary when seen under the light from an incandescent (tungsten) light-bulb:
lighter colors may appear to be more orange or "brownish" and darker colors may appear even
darker. Light and the color of an object can affect how one perceives its positioning. If light or
shadow, or the color of the object, masks an object's true contour (outline of a figure) it can
appear to be shaped differently from reality. Objects under a uniform light-source will promote
better impression of three-dimensional shape. The color of an object may affect whether or not it
seems to be in motion. In particular, the trajectories of objects under a light source whose
intensity varies with space are more difficult to determine than identical objects under a uniform
light source. This could possibly be interpreted as interference between motion and color
perception, both of which are more difficult under variable lighting.
Carl Jung is most prominently associated with the pioneering stages of color psychology. Jung
was most interested in colors' properties and meanings, as well as in art's potential as a tool
for psychotherapy. His studies in and writings on color symbolism cover a broad range of topics,
from mandalas to the works of Picasso to the near-universal sovereignty of the color gold, the
lattermost of which, according to Charles A. Riley II, "expresses ... the apex of spirituality, and
intuition". In pursuing his studies of color usage and effects across cultures and time periods, as
well as in examining his patients' self-created mandalas, Jung attempted to unlock and develop a
language, or code, the ciphers of which would be colors. He looked to alchemy to further his
understanding of the secret language of color, finding the key to his research in alchemical
transmutation. His work has historically informed the modern field of color psychology.
General model
The general model of color psychology relies on six basic principles:

1. Color can carry specific meaning.

2. Color meaning is either based in learned meaning or biologically innate meaning.
3. The perception of a color causes evaluation automatically by the person perceiving.
4. The evaluation process forces color-motivated behavior.
5. Color usually exerts its influence automatically.
6. Color meaning and effect has to do with context as well.

Psychology of color in marketing

Since color is an important factor in the visual appearance of products as well as in brand
recognition, color psychology has become important to marketing. Recent work in marketing has
shown that color can be used to communicate brand personality.
Marketers must be aware of the application of color in different media, as well as the varying
meanings and emotions that a particular audience can assign to color. Even though there are
attempts to classify consumer response to different colors, everyone perceives color differently.
The physiological and emotional effect of color in each person is influenced by several factors
such as past experiences, culture, religion, natural environment, gender, race, and nationality.
When making color decisions, it is important to determine the target audience in order to convey
the right message. Color decisions can influence both direct messages and secondary brand
values and attributes in any communication. Color should be carefully selected to align with the
key message and emotions being conveyed in a piece.
Research on the effects of color on product preference and marketing shows that product color
could affect consumer preference and hence purchasing culture. Most results show that it is not a
specific color that attracts all audiences, but that certain colors are deemed appropriate for certain
products.

Psychology of color in branding

Example #1
Colors convey strong emotional meaning to an audience. Marketing research studies have been
done regarding the subconscious perception of color and its ability to drive consumer behavior.
Red, yellow and green have been shown to increase hunger and impulse purchases, which is why
we see this combination frequently used by fast food chains and manufacturers of junk food
items in retail packaging.

Example #2
Color has a strong psychological impact. Audiences can be drawn to or repulsed by a products
color.

Example #3
Blue is seen as reliable, conservative and dependable. Financial institutions and insurance
companies frequentl use this hue in their logos and promotional materials.
Example #4
Yellow is a cheerful and playful color associated with fun, energy and vitality. It can have the
problem with not being perceived seriously.

Example #5
Orange represents vitality, energy and fun. It is considered the most visible color in the
spectrum, so it is used in safety and construction products that demand the attention of passersby.
Like yellow, it is not generally associated with sophistication and refinement, and is not always
taken seriously.

Example #6
Green is associated with freshness, growth and renewal. This color is used frequently to convey
organic products. Light green is perceived as tranquil, and is frequently used inside of hospitals
and prisons.
Example #7
Red is tinged with numerous meanings in our culture. It can be associated with energy, love and
vitality or with vice, danger and lust.

Example #8
Purple is associated with mystery. Darker shades of this color are associated with royalty and
wealth. Purple is generally considered a feminine color in advertising, packaging and marketing.

Example #9
Brown suggests stability, reliability and comfort. Studies have shown that in times of economic
uncertainty, consumers tend to purchase more earth tones for clothing and home dcor.

Example #10
Grey conveys a sense of refinement and sophistication. We often see this used in the
advertisement of luxury items. It is a color proven to decrease appetite, so it is not generally used
in restaurant settings or on consumer food packaging.
Example #11
White is perceived as pure and innocent. It is associated with cleanliness and sterility.

Example #12
Black is a color of mystery, fear and danger. In the west, it is closely associated with death. In
advertising and marketing it is often used as a color to denote sophistication and masculinity.

Attracting attention

Color is used as a means to attract consumer attention to a product that then influences buying
behavior. Consumers use color to identify for known brands or search for new alternatives.
Variety seekers look for non-typical colors when selecting new brands. And attractive color
packaging receives more consumer attention than unattractive color packaging, which can then
influence buying behavior. A study that looked at visual color cues focused on predicted
purchasing behavior for known and unknown brands. Participants were shown the same product
in four different colors and brands. The results showed that people picked packages based on
colors that attracted their voluntary and involuntary attention. Associations made with that color
such as 'green fits menthol', also affected their decision. Based on these findings implications can
be made on the best color choices for packages. New companies or new products could consider
using dissimilar colors to attract attention to the brand, however, off brand companies could
consider using similar colors to the leading brand to emphasize product similarity. If a company
is changing the look of a product, but keeping the product the same, they consider keeping the
same color scheme since people use color to identify and search for brands. This can be seen
in Crayola crayons, where the logo has changed many times since 1934, but the basic package
colors, gold and green, have been kept throughout.
Attention is captured subconsciously before people can consciously attend to something.
Research looking at electroencephalography (EEGs) while people made decisions on color
preference found brain activation when a favorite color is present before the participants
consciously focused on it. When looking a various colors on a screen people focus on their
favorite color, or the color stands out more, before they purposefully turn their attention to it.
This implies that products can capture someone's attention based on color, before the person
willingly looks at the product.

Store and display color

Color is not only used in products to attract attention, but
also in window displays and stores. When people are
exposed to different colored walls and images of window
displays and store interiors they tend to be drawn to some
colors and not to others. Findings showed that people
were physically drawn to warm colored displays;
however, they rated cool colored displays as more
favorable. This implies that warm colored store displays
are more appropriate for spontaneous and unplanned purchases, whereas cool colored displays
and store entrances may be a better fit for purchases where a lot of planning and customer
deliberation occurs. This is especially relevant in shopping malls were patrons could easily walk
into a store that attracts their attention without previous planning.
Other research has confirmed that store color, and not just the product, influences buying
behavior. When people are exposed to different store color scenarios and then surveyed on
intended buying behavior store color, among various other factors, seems important for
purchasing intentions. Particularly blue, a cool color, was rated as more favorable and produced
higher purchasing intentions than orange, a warm color. However, all negative effects to orange
were neutralized when orange store color was paired with soft lighting. This shows that store
color and lighting actually interact.
Lighting color could have a strong effect on perceived experience in stores and other situation.
For example, time seems to pass more slowly under red lights and time seems to pass quickly
under blue light. Casinos take full advantage of this phenomenon by using color to get people to
spend more time and hence more money in their casino.

Individual difference
Gender
Children's toys are often categorized as either boys or girls toys solely based on color. In a study
on color effects on perception, adult participants were shown blurred images of children's toys
where the only decipherable feature visible was the toy's color. In general participants
categorized the toys into girl and boy toys based on the visible color of the image. This can be
seen in companies interested in marketing masculine toys, such as building sets, to girls. For
example, Lego uses pink to specifically advertise some sets to girls rather than boys. The
classification of 'girl' and 'boy' toys on the Disney Store website also uses color associations for
each gender. An analysis of the colors used showed that bold colored toys, such as red and black,
were generally classified as 'boy only' toys and pastel colored toys, such as pink and purple, were
classified as 'girl only' toys. Toys that were classified as both boy and girl toys took on 'boy only'
toy colors. This again emphasizes the distinction in color use for children's toys.
Gender differences in color associations can also be seen amongst adults. Differences were noted
for male and female participants, where the two genders did not agree on which color pairs they
enjoyed the most when presented with a variety of colors. Men and women also did not agree on
which colors should be classified as masculine and feminine. This could imply that men and
women generally prefer different colors when purchasing items. Men and women also
misperceive what colors the opposite gender views as fitting for them.
Age
Children's toys for younger age groups are often marketed based on color, however, as the age
group increases color becomes less gender-stereotyped. In general many toys become gender
neutral and hence adopt gender-neutral colors. In the United States it is common to associate
baby girls with pink and baby boys with blue. This difference in young children is a learned
difference rather than an inborn one. Research has looked at young children's, ages 7 months to 5
years, preference for small objects in different colors. The results showed that by the age of 2
2.5 years socially constructed gendered colors affects children's color preference, where girls
prefer pink and boys avoid pink, but show no preference for other colors.
Slightly older children who have developed a sense of favorite color often tend to pick items that
are in that color. However, when their favorite color is not available for a desired item children
choose colors that they think matches the product best. Children's preferences for chocolate bar
wrappers showed that although one third of the children picked a wrapper of their favorite color,
the remaining two thirds picked a wrapper they perceived as fitting the product best. For
example, most children thought that a white wrapper was most fitting for white chocolate and a
black wrapper for most fitting for a dark chocolate bar and therefore chose those options for
those two bars. This application can be seen in The Hershey Company chocolate bars where the
company strategically has light wrappers for white chocolate and brown wrappers for milk
chocolate, making the product easily identifiable and understandable.
Culture
Many cultural differences exist on perceived color personality, meaning, and preference. When
deciding on brand and product logos, companies should take into account their target consumer,
since cultural differences exist. A study looked at color preference in British and Chinese
participants. Each participant was presented with a total of 20 color swatches one at a time and
had to rate the color on 10 different emotions. Results showed that British participants and
Chinese participants differed on the like-dislike scale the most. Chinese participants tended to
like colors that they self rated as clean, fresh, and modern, whereas British participants showed
no such pattern. When evaluating purchasing intent, color preference affects buying behavior,
where liked colors are more likely to be bought than disliked colors. This implies that companies
should consider choosing their target consumer first and then make product colors based on the
target's color preferences.
Wollard, (2000). seems to think that color can affect ones mood, but the effect also can depend
on ones culture and what ones personal reflection may be. For example, someone from Japan
may not associate red with anger, as people from the U.S. tend to do. Also, a person who likes
the color brown may associate brown with happiness. However, Wollard does think that colors
can make everyone feel the same, or close to the same, mood.

Color and sports performance

In particular the color red has been found to influence sports performance. During the 2004
Summer Olympics the competitors in boxing, taekwondo, freestyle wrestling, andGreco-Roman
wrestling were randomly given blue or red uniforms. A later study found that those wearing red
won 55% of all the bouts which was a statistically significant increase over the expected 50%.
The colors affected bouts where the competitors were closely matched in ability, where those
wearing red won 60% of the bouts, but not bouts between more unevenly matched competitors.
In England, since WWII, teams wearing red uniforms have averaged higher league positions and
have had more league winners than teams using other colors. In cities with more than one team,
the teams wearing red outperformed the teams wearing other colors. A study of the UEFA Euro
2004 found similar results. Another study found that those taking penalty kicks performed worst
when the goalkeeper had a red uniform. More anecdotal is the historical dominance of the
domestic honors by red-wearing teams such AFC Ajax, FC Bayern Munich, Liverpool F.C.,
and Manchester United F.C.. Videos of taekwondo bouts were manipulated in one study so that
the red and blue colors of the protective gears were reversed. Both the original and the
manipulated videos were shown to referees. The competitors wearing red were given higher
scores despite the videos otherwise being identical. A study on experienced players of first-
person shooters found that those assigned to wear red instead of blue won 55% of the matches.
There are several different explanations for this effect. Red is used in stop signs and traffic lights
which may associate the color with halting. Red is also perceived as a strong and active color
which may influence both the person wearing it and others. An evolutionary
psychology explanation is that red may signal health as opposed to anemic paleness, or indicate
anger due to flushing instead of paleness due to fear. It has been argued that detecting flushing
may have influenced the development of primate trichromate vision. Primate studies have found
that some species evaluate rivals and possible mates depending on red color characteristics.
Facial redness is associated with testosterone levels in humans, and male skin tends to be redder
than female skin.

Conclusion
Colors have power. If we knowledge of psychology of color well, we can enjoy massive success
in our business, career and personal life.