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Cultural Contexts of Colors
Color |
Positives |
Negatives |
Gray |
Elegance, humility, respect, reverence, stability, subtlety, timelessness, wisdom |
Anachronism, boredom, decay, decrepitude, dullness, dust, pollution, urban sprawl |
Red |
Passion, strength, energy, fire, love, sex, excitement, speed, heat, leadership, masculinity, power |
Danger, fire, gaudiness, blood, war, anger, revolution, radicalism, aggression, stop |
Blue |
Seas, skies, peace, unity, harmony, tranquillity, calmness, coolness, confidence, water, ice, loyalty, conservatism, dependability, cleanliness, technology, winter |
Depression, coldness, idealism, obscenity, ice, tackiness, winter |
Green |
Nature, spring, fertility, youth, environment, wealth, money (US), good luck, vigour, generosity, go, grass |
Aggression, inexperience, envy, misfortune, jealousy, money, illness, greed |
Yellow |
Sunlight, joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, wealth (gold), summer, hope, air |
Cowardice, illness (quarantine), hazards, dishonesty, avarice, ossification, weakness |
Purple |
Sensuality, spirituality, creativity, wealth, royalty, nobility, ceremony, mystery, wisdom, enlightenment |
Arrogance, flamboyance, gaudiness, mourning, profanity, exaggeration, confusion |
Orange |
Buddhism, energy, balance, heat, fire, enthusiasm, flamboyance, playfulness |
Aggression, arrogance, flamboyance, gaudiness, overemotion, warning, danger, fire |
White |
Reverence, purity, snow, peace, innocence, cleanliness, simplicity, security, humility, marriage, sterility, winter |
Coldness, sterility, clinicism, surrender, cowardice, fearfulness, winter, unimaginative |
Black |
Modernity, power, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, style |
Evil, death, fear, anonymity, anger, sadness, remorse, mourning, unhappiness, mystery |
Brown |
Calm, depth, natural organisms, nature, richness, rusticism, stability, tradition |
Anachronism, boorishness, dirt, dullness, filth, heaviness, poverty, roughness |
(Ref. http://www.uvsc.edu/disted/decourses/dgm/2740/IN/steinja/lessons/05/l05_08.html ; June 9, 2012
References: Frank, M. G. & Gilovich, T. (1988). The dark side of self and social perception: Black uniforms and aggression in professional sports. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 74-83) |