Colour and emotion
20 feelings and the colours tied to them: what studies find, what languages say, and how the link changes from one culture to the next. Where the evidence is thin, the pages say so.
Presented by ClearTrust Free for designers, students and the curious.
JoyYellow, Orange, RedYellow is the world's most agreed colour of joy, with orange close behind. In China joy is red, and at Holi in India it is every colour at once.LoveRed, Pink, WhiteRed and pink carry love almost everywhere: red roses, red bridal dress in India and China, the red thread of fate in East Asia.AngerRed, Black, PurpleRed is the colour of anger in most languages and studies, from 'seeing red' to Hindi's 'laal-peela'. Black comes second.SadnessGrey, Blue, BlackEnglish feels blue, but studies tie sadness more firmly to grey and black. In China white can be sad, and in Brazil 'all blue' means all is well.GriefBlack, White, PurpleBlack in Europe and the Americas, white in Hindu India and much of East Asia, red and black in Ghana: grief has no single colour.FearBlack, Grey, WhiteFear is black in most studies, and pale in most languages: 'white as a sheet' in English, 'blue fear' in French and Italian.CalmBlue, Green, WhiteBlue, green and white are the colours people call calm. Soft, pale shades matter more than hue, and claims about calming paint are weak.EnvyGreen, Yellow, RedGreen in English, French and Spanish, yellow in German, red-eyed in Chinese, black or white in Russian: envy's colour is set by language.HopeGreen, Yellow, WhiteGreen is the colour of hope in Spanish, Italian, German and Portuguese and across the Muslim world. Elsewhere hope is light, dawn or a rainbow.TrustBlue, White, RedBlue is the colour of trust in business and public life. Many languages use white for honesty, and Chinese opera uses red for loyalty.EnergyRed, Orange, YellowRed, orange and bright yellow read as energy worldwide: the red of Shakti in India, fire in China, orange in the Netherlands.CourageRed, Orange, PurpleRed and saffron stand for courage in flags, uniforms and medals, from Rajput and Sikh saffron to Maasai red and the Purple Heart.PridePurple, Gold, YellowPurple and gold mean rank and pride through the history of costly dyes. Today pride also flies as a rainbow and in national colours.ShameRed, Pink, BlackShame is the red of a blush in most languages, and the black of a 'blackened face' in Hindi, Arabic, Persian and Turkish.DisgustBrown, Green, YellowBrown and murky yellow-green are the colours of disgust. Australia chose a drab brown, Pantone 448 C, to make cigarette packs unappealing.SurpriseYellow, Orange, BlueSurprise has no settled colour. Idioms point to the clear blue sky a shock falls from; designers use bright yellow and sharp contrast.LonelinessGrey, Blue, BlackLoneliness borrows the colours of sadness: grey, cold blue and black. In South Korea singles mark it with black noodles on Black Day.NostalgiaBrown, Gold, OrangeSepia brown, faded yellow and warm gold are the colours of nostalgia, taken from old photographs, ageing paper and early colour film.AweGold, Blue, PurpleGold, deep blue and purple are the colours people build with to inspire awe, from the Golden Temple to the blue glass of Chartres.OptimismYellow, Pink, GreenOptimism is rose-tinted in a dozen languages and sunny yellow in design. At New Year it is red in China, white in Brazil and yellow in the Andes.
The whole picture
Each row is a feeling; each block is a colour family people tie to it.
JoyLoveAngerSadnessGriefFearCalmEnvyHopeTrustEnergyCouragePrideShameDisgustSurpriseLonelinessNostalgiaAweOptimism
Read more: how colour and the mind work, and what colours stand for country by country.