"I feel blue." This is a metaphor you often say when you are sad and depressed. On the other hand, you may say that you would like to "paint the town red" when you want to celebrate and enjoy. Why are emotions and colors often compared? Is there a connection between colors and emotions?
The previous research published in Psychological Science revealed that sadness affects the way people see things by marring their ability to percept colors. To determine if this is true, Christopher Thorstenson, a psychology researcher at the University of Rochester and the lead author of the study, conducted an experiment.
He and his team asked 127 undergraduates to watch either a happy or sad movie. Then they were asked to identify 48 color patches of shades green, red and yellow. It was found that those students who watched sad movies were less accurate in identifying colors on the blue-yellow axis, signifying that the students perceived less of the color.
To confirm the results, they conducted a second study, this time with 130 subjects. Some of the respondents were asked to view a sad clip while others were tasked to view a neutral test film. Those who watched the sad clip have shown inaccurate color perception on the blue-yellow axis. They were, however, precise in identifying the colors in the red-green spectrum. This made them conclude that sadness really affects one's color perception. Moreover, our visual processes rely on the chemical in the brain known as neurotransmitter dopamine.
Dopamine is one pf the chemicals in the brain that affects happiness. So, it just makes sense to say that color perception and mood are related.
The different emotions you feel are normal and inevitable. What seems important is how you deal with these emotions. Recognizing what you feel is the first step in coping up with your emotions. Are you happy?Do you feel sad and anxious? When you have already identified that specific feeling, you now try to discover the message it conveys. If you sad, you may ask yourself, "Why am I hurting?" or if you feel happy, you may ask yourself, "Why am I happy?"
Once you have identified your emotion and its message, you can now act on it. Think of the best strategy to cope with your emotion. It could be through reflecting, exercising, socializing or even seeking professional help. These strategies may vary depending on the person and other factors.
Whether you feel positive or negative emotions, what's important is that you use them to improve yourself.