According to research on colour psychology, certain hues can have an impact on how we feel and how we feel about ourselves. These reactions can occasionally be correlated with a color’s intensity. They are the results of experience and cultural influences in other situations. The colour green is often strongly associated with nature and conjures up images of lush grass, trees, and forests. Green is frequently said to be a serene and energising colour. Green is also frequently associated with wealth, good fortune, health, and envy.
Because it predominates in nature, the colour green stands for rural and natural settings. Green is thought to be the most tranquil and calming colour for the human eye out of all the hues on the colour wheel. Green represents peace, harmony, and tranquilly. It strengthens steadiness and endurance since it is a calming, relaxing colour. It encourages optimism, hope, and equilibrium and is frequently linked to growth and rejuvenation. It has been discovered that the perception of green causes less mood disturbance and less perceived exertion. Green also produces therapeutic and positive outcomes, such as promoting post-operative recovery.
The colour green conjures up images of safe places where people can get their fundamental needs met, such as food, water, and shelter. The colour green is relaxing. People who are scheduled to appear on television programmes frequently wait in a green-painted holding room. Green is supposed to calm them down, aid with concentration, and lessen their anxiety. Green improves beneficial cognitive outcomes like better memory, problem-solving skills, and optimistic thinking. For instance, a study found that terms connected with success were typically associated with the colour green and that people were more likely to remember words written in the positive colour green.
The color’s association with nature, which people often find to be tranquil and invigorating, may be the source of its calming effects. According to some academics, our brains are built through evolution to associate green with pleasant things: The earliest humans understood that greenery in the environment meant they could find food, drink, and shelter there. Green was a traditional symbol of fertility in prehistoric mythology. For instance, because spring and greenery return to the soil around this season, the ancient Iranians gave the final month of winter the name “Esfand.” They gave special attention to the soil and women on the fifth day. Osiris, the deity of the underworld, birth, rebirth, agriculture, and fertility, was also depicted by the ancient Greeks as having a green face.
We may be more inclined to mistake anything green for being healthy and natural even when it isn’t because of its close ties to nature. For instance, despite the fact that the nutrition of the two bars was identical, one study found that people were more likely to view a candy bar with a green label as a healthier option than a candy bar with a red label. Think of green initiatives, green energy, green spaces, Greenpeace, etc. when you hear the term “green,” which has also come to mean “ecologically beneficial.”
Green hues can relax people in unfamiliar environments. Designers frequently incorporate green in public areas like restaurants and hotels because of this. In one study, those who exercised indoors while watching a green-overlaid film of outdoor space experienced a “green workout effect.” Compared to when they watched, they felt less exertion and had fewer mood swings.
Our memories and emotions are both influenced by color. One study gave participants a selection of terms that had strong emotional connotations and were written in various colors. Then they had to recall a list of words. Green is thought to have more positive emotional overtones since people were more likely to remember words that were favourable in color. As a result, the colour green might encourage a predisposition toward optimism when it comes to memorising facts. In the US, green is the colour of paper money, and it also symbolises luck, St. Patrick’s Day, and the Irish-American culture. Interestingly, one study discovered that the colour green might serve as a kind of charm for luck. Participants who were exposed to the colour green felt more hopeful and had less fear of failing.
Although some people find the colour green to be calming, others claim it inspires them. According to one study, those with a “strong desire for achievement” tended to prefer the colour green over red, whereas those with a “low need for achievement” preferred red more frequently. Participants in the study also connected words with failure to the colour red and words with success to the colour green. At stoplights, green denotes security and the OK to proceed, while red denotes “stop.” The phrase “to give the green light” also denotes agreement. According to research, people are more creative when they are surrounded by greenery and have access to green landscapes. According to studies, the colour green can also stimulate original thought. In one study, participants’ reading skills increased in a green-lit environment while they decreased in a red-lit one.
Although the colour green is frequently linked with happiness, it can also be a sign of envy. You’ve probably heard the phrase “green with envy.” This idiom’s antecedents are unknown. When someone’s complexion turns green, for example, it might also be a sign of physical sickness. The relationship between green and illness may have led to the idea that envy is a disease in and of itself
The meanings associated with the colour green are new beginnings, growth, robust health, and other concepts pertaining to life, rebirth, and rejuvenation. If you frequently see green in your surroundings or in your dreams, you may be beginning a new stage of life, learning new facets of yourself, or going through a rebirth. Green is frequently used as a metaphor for life, fertility, renewal, and rebirth. Yellow, which represents glory and vitality, and blue combine to become green (which relates to God and the heavens). People frequently describe the colour green as natural, fresh, and restful because it is closely related to nature. But keep in mind that personal experiences and cultural influences also play a role in determining how we respond to color.