Connecting Color and Culture
Color is naturally present in everything we experience: our environment, our clothes, our food are just a few examples. Colors effect our emotions, our reasoning, and even our appetite. The preferences we develop for colors are influenced by the physiological and psychological response we have to the stimulus. Western Psychologists have discovered that different colors affect heart rate, mood and focus. However, there is something even larger that shapes our mind and body response: Culture. Do the same colors elicit the same response for someone from another culture? In this increasingly globally connected world, being aware of something as basic as cultural perception and sensation of color is an asset in business, social and personal interactions. It gives insight into how a person is influenced, their reactions and how they picture the world; all of this helps you create a bridge of authentic and productive communication.
photo by astro-dudes
Perception:
Colors have symbolic meaning that change amongst different cultures. People absorb the symbolism of color, develop preference and reactions to them from references inherent in their own culture. So while one person may assume someone who wears red may be a passionate or bold, they may be perceived as something entirely different from another cultural perspective. In the United States, the color red is often associated with passion, love, or heightened emotions- if someone were to come to a funeral dressed in red, immediately gossip would fly and the person would be ostracized…no one would consider that perhaps this person has roots in South African culture, in which red is the color of mourning. Consider the white gown of a bride, if she instead wore red what assumptions would be made about her? In India, however, red is representative of joy and happiness and is the traditional color for a bride’s wedding attire. Understanding how color is used and what it represents in a culture is a very simple way to step outside your own world and connect with another. Sure, some of the interpretations may be outdated, however they are often still at the root of cultural traditions and behaviors.
For a cool chart of color meanings in different cultures, click here.
Sensation:
Does culture also affect the way we see and identify color? Depending on our culture, we may develop a different sense of visual reception, discerning different shades based on what is available in the environment and addressed by the language we speak. A study by psychologist, Lera Boroditsky, found evidence to suggest that our cognitive experience of the world is shaped by the language we speak, and something as simple as having a word for the color red can directly affect our perception of the color. In America, we have several different names for shades of red and thus the ongoing ability to discern between these shades, however, another culture may only have one word for red- what might this indicate about what they are able to see, communicate and physiologically respond to for this color? Does the availability of color in one’s environment or even a culture’s value of color, physiologically affect what colors a person is able to see over time?
Many of these questions have not yet been answered in full, and although the answers would be interesting I think we can still benefit just by considering the ideas. They offer a tangible method of breaking down and understanding how someone else sees and interacts with the world around them and also challenges the assumptions we live by. A simple example of this is that of reading a story or viewing a piece of art- we tend to automatically apply our own cultural perception of the colors used in order to interpret the piece and find meaning. Do we consider, however, the cultural background or experience of the author or artist? The culture of the artist or author is what provides context for their piece- without considering it, how can we truly understand what they are communicating? Having this insight is invaluable in how you interact with those in your life, whether it be a business associate, a student or your mother-in-law, because it gives you a window into their perception and actions- it gives you the opportunity to take off your rose colored glasses and see them not as who you think they are, but for who they really are.
