Certain colors absorb and trap the sunlight more than others. Light-colored clothing easily reflects the sunlight, while dark clothes have trouble reflecting the sun's rays. Because of that, the dark-colored clothing traps the heat from the sun. This then makes you feel much hotter.
Light colored clothing reflects most of the visible wavelengths which, in turn, absorbs less heat. On the contrary, darker or black clothing absorbs more wavelengths, absorbing more heat, hence making the clothing warmer to wear.
During separate 30-minute sessions, the volunteer wore a black Bedouin robe, a white Bedouin robe, a khaki Army uniform, and nothing but a pair of shorts. Ultimately, the scientists concluded that whether the Bedouin robes were white or black did not impact the man's body temperature.
The outer layer of fabric does get hotter because the black color absorbs more heat. And that heat doesn't get transmitted to the skin because of the thick fabric. But thin black clothing transmits that heat to the skin, making a person hotter.
In most cases white clothes look just like black clothes in the infrared spectrum. They both reflect about the same amount of thermal radiation. That means you are going to be better off with white clothes, since they don't absorb as much visible light.
White, silver, and other light colors are coolest, reflecting about 60 percent of sunlight but there are dark "cool" colors that can also stay cooler than traditional dark colors.
It is commonly said that white is the most appropriate colour for summer temperatures because it keeps the body cool, unlike black which tends to absorb heat.
The research team – C Richard Taylor and Virginia Finch of Harvard University and Amiram Shkolnik and Arieh Borut of Tel Aviv University – quickly discovered that, as you might suspect, a black robe does convey more heat inward than a white robe does.
However, black clothes and accessories needn't be avoided in the summer months; some of the best pieces on the market—dresses, tank tops, sunnies, beach hats, and swimwear—come in elegant, polished black and effortlessly, also keep you cool.
Why does this happen? Well, as light hits a black (or bright-coloured shirt), the light is converted into energy and, in this case, heat. So, while the dark colours will absorb the light and make you a little sweatier, it will also prevent the UV rays and light from causing permanent damage.
Wearing black clothes in summer is not preferable as during summer there is more heat present in the atmosphere and black clothes absorb more heat comparatively. So, black clothes are not preferable during summer.
Dark or bright colors
Darker colors absorb more UV than lighter colors like whites and pastels. This means the UV rays are less likely to reach your skin. But bright colors such as red can also absorb UV rays. The more vivid the color, the greater the protection—a bright yellow shirt is more protective than a pale one.
Research in colour psychology suggests that those who wear all black find a sense of 'togetherness and certainty'. A survey states: ”Throughout all our survey black came first or second in most 'good' traits (for example – confidence, intelligence, and sexiness) and barely figured in the bad traits.”
Will a white car cool faster than a black one? We took our trusty thermometer and found that the interior of the white car dropped to 84 degrees after 10 minutes, while the black car cooled off a little, but still comes in at stifling 91 degrees.
Black – the color that absorbs all visible wavelengths of light – attracts the most heat, followed by violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red, in descending order.
Research in color psychology shows that a preference for the color black indicates recognition and power, and someone who prefers to wear black takes themselves very seriously.
Black colour is the best absorber of heat, so black clothes absorb most of the heat whereas white clothes reflect all the light reaching on them. This makes the white clothes cooler than black.
The amount of heat gained by a Bedouin exposed to desert heat is the same whether he or she wears a black robe or a white one. The additional heat absorbed by the black robe is lost before it reaches the skin and drives convection under the black robe, making it more comfortable than a white robe.
As it was explained in one of Halliday's books, the reason is that the black dress heats the air inside it up, thus causing a continuous flow of air in between the skin and the dress. The cold air flows in from below, gets heaten up, and gets out from above, providing a continuous ventilation.
Experimental evidence was sought for F. Birren's claims (Birren, 1956; 1961; 1963) that introverts prefer “cool” (green-blue) colors, while extraverts prefer “warm” (yellow-red) colors.
As for the least preferred colors, yellow is mentioned in eight studies, while orange and green-yellow are mentioned in five studies each. Thus, the most attractive color is blue, the second most preferred is red, followed by green, while yellow was found to be the least preferred color (Figure 1).
Some colors stand out, and others blend into the background and we don't notice them quite as much. Red and orange seem to be the clear winner when it comes to eye-catching colors.
If you're a Summer type, you'll find burnt orange, warm browns and yellow-greens look awful on you. And there's a reason for that. The warmth of these colours clash against the coolness of your skin – making you look dull and tired…and even ill.
No matter how high a temperature rises, blue-white is the hottest color we are able to perceive.