Can you imagine living in a world without color?
For most of us, the long, gray winter we just experienced is the closest we’d ever want to come. Thankfully, spring is officially here!
Springtime is a celebration of color. For kids, especially, this season of renewal opens a world of wonder and fresh excitement! They dive into painting Easter eggs and chasing rainbow-colored kites across big green fields. Hungry, orange-bellied robins and blooming pink and purple flowers invite all ages to indulge the senses and do a bit of exploring. As we admire the newly-budding trees and clear blue skies, let's appreciate the magic of colors and their profound impact on our lives.
Have you ever wondered why certain colors captivate our eyes and emotions?
80 percent of our sensory input comes from our vision, so colors greatly influence how we experience the world. Across cultures, humans associate colors with specific feelings, and research has found that these associations are generally the same even in different areas of the world. Blue signifies peace and rest, red is associated with anger and love, and yellow and orange bring thoughts of happiness and energy.
But why? And why do children, especially, seem drawn to some colors more than others?
“When children are very young, they use color and shape to identify things,” says Marilyn Read, an associate professor of design and human environment at Oregon State University. “Only after the age of 5 do they begin to describe things in terms of texture or line.”
From a very young age, color is a primary tool children use to understand, categorize, and interact with the world around them. Studies have shown that exposure to a variety of colors can enhance cognitive skills, stimulate creativity, and even improve mood and behavior. Children are naturally drawn to bold colors, which stimulate their senses and curiosity. Their preferred colors often reflect their favorite possessions - such as a plush green dinosaur or a pink princess dress. Choosing favorite colors is one way kids express their emerging identities.
So, the next time you see a child mesmerized by the colors of spring, know that they're not just delighting in a visual spectacle – they're also nurturing their growing minds and imaginations.
Maureen Healy, an expert on child emotional wellness, says, "From my own perspective, colors are like food to children. From a color theory perspective, every child is drawn to the colors they need emotionally at the moment….Sometimes a particular color makes a child 'feel better,' whether it calms them or simply puts them at ease."
It’s a phenomenon we’re all familiar with: color is not just a visual experience; it's an emotional one too.
Contrary to popular opinion, though, this doesn’t mean the colors themselves are changing our emotions. Domicele Jonauskaite, PhD, a senior research fellow at The University of Vienna in Austria, says that “when we talk about all these links like yellow and joy, or envy and green, we are really in the domain of our minds. We are not really in the domain of felt emotions.”
In other words, colors trigger learned associations in our mind (such as red equals anger or green equals health), and associations can then influence our mood. For example: Yellow makes us think of sunshine. Sunshine makes us feel happy. Therefore, we associate yellow with happiness.
Color truly is a wonderful gift that makes our lives richer and happier. And for kids, exposure to a wide range of colors can boost their imagination, cognitive development, and connection with the world around them.
From the delicate pastels of cherry blossoms to the vibrant hues of tulips and daffodils, the magic of colors in springtime goes beyond mere aesthetics. It's a reflection of our emotions, memories, and innate sense of wonder. So, let's be inspired to see the world with fresh eyes and open hearts, just like a child discovering the wonders of spring for the very first time.
Sources
Koltuska-Haskin, B. 2023. How Colors Affect Brain Functioning.
Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-my-brain-works/202301/how-colors-affect-brain-functioning
Rosenfeld, L. 2012. Red! No, Blue! No, Light Blue! Retrieved from https://slate.com/human-interest/2012/04/small-children-and-favorite-colors-research-into-why-colors-are-so-important-to-kids-identity.html
Jones, A. 2019. Here’s What Your Toddler’s Favorite Color Says About Them, According to Science. Romper.
Retrieved from https://www.romper.com/p/your-toddlers-favorite-color-can-mean-more-to-them-than-you-think-according-to-science-16815821
Jonauskaite, D. 2023. Speaking of Psychology: Red with anger or feeling blue? The link between color and emotion, with Domicele Jonauskaite, PhD. Speaking of Psychology.
Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/color-emotion
ChatGPT. OpenAI. Accessed 03-23-2024.