Undoubtedly, the strongest link between an individual emotion and color is “red” and anger, which has been noted across studies and formats (e.g., Kaya and Epps, 2004; Sutton and Altarriba, 2016).
The colors black and red were associated with anger in all countries. In addition, black and red were also associated with fear, except in Mexico.
The red quadrant is for unpleasant, high energy emotions, feelings like anxiety, rage, frustration, anger, and fear.
In fact, this fiery hue has more opposing emotional associations than any other color: Red is linked to passion and love as well as power and anger.
Black is a primary color across all models of color space. In Western culture, it is considered a negative color and usually symbolizes death, grief, or evil but also depression.
In color psychology, grey represents neutrality and balance. Its color meaning likely comes from being the shade between white and black. However, grey does carry some negative connotations, particularly when it comes to depression and loss. Its absence of color makes it dull.
Negative: Coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness. Blue is the colour of the mind and is essentially soothing; it affects us mentally, rather than the physical reaction we have to red.
Colors like red and orange increase anxiety and stress, sometimes even fear. Red and orange are associated with an emergency that can elicit images of emergency vehicles with their lights and sirens on.
Yellow was most often associated with a normal mood and grey with an anxious or depressed mood. Different shades of the same color had completely different positive or negative connotations.
Sadness. “Gray” was the most frequent color indicated for sadness, followed by “indigo” and then “black” (Figure 1). The intensities for all three colors were moderate (Table 2).
When it comes to depression colors, gray and blue tend to be high on the list of those associated with low mood. In a 2010 study using the Manchester Color Wheel, experts found gray was the color people pointed to when asked to reflect feelings of depression.
Different states of anger, like fury and annoyance, are represented by red triangles.
According to color psychologists, the most stressful and anxiety-inducing color is 'red'. Red room ideas can be too intense for some people – could your red decor be one of the reasons why your friends hate your house? It reminds us of danger and is a color that makes you angry.
Lurking in the background is the dark side of yellow: cowardice, betrayal, egoism, and madness. Furthermore, yellow is the color of caution and physical illness (jaundice, malaria, and pestilence).
“Yellow is the colour of madness, perhaps inspired by Vincent van Gogh, and his obsession with yellow. In England we say “Mad as a March hare”, as hares tend to behave erratically in March.
Red (warm):
Be careful though – red is also associated with anger and can be overwhelming or irritating to those who are easily stimulated. It is also flattering to the skin, so if you're looking to create a “sexy” LED lighting environment, red is a good choice.
Blue hues are known for slowing down the heart rate, reducing respiratory rhythm, and encouraging calm and focus. In general, stick with muted or pastel shades, and avoid primary colors. Cut down on abrasive background noise when having a conversation.
The color gray appears when the person is afraid, anxious or feeling exhausted.
Yellow has diverse meanings across cultures and continents: Europe: In France, yellow signifies yellow signifies jealously, betrayal, weakness, and contradiction. In the 10th century, the French painted the doors of traitors and criminals yellow.
Neon bright colors, while they do stand out, often contribute to eye fatigue and the eyes may have trouble focusing on the page. Darker colors, such as those found on conventional construction paper, may also be difficult to read. The darker backgrounds obscure text and make information difficult to process.
The results of the RGB colour model revealed that guilt was most commonly associated with red, black, green, and violet colours. However, the colours of immoral behaviours were much darker than the colours of environmentally unfriendly behaviours.
For instance, light purples are associated with light-hearted, romantic energies, while darker shades can represent sadness and frustration. In some parts of Europe, purple is associated with death and mourning.
Thus, white is opposite to pink.
Grey is the quintessential sad color, but dark and muted cool colors like blue, green or neutrals like brown or beige can have a similar effect on feelings and emotions depending on how they're used. In Western cultures black is often considered the color of mourning, whereas in some East Asian countries it's white.