Color spans our lives from infancy to infinity.
From innocence to allure, the science and psychology of color explains our fascination with
electric palettes of personal enchantment.
Colors are the rainbow section of wavelengths. Visible light measures from 400 to 700
nanometers.
Ditching “nerd speak,” a person easily arranges colors by wavelength using the Roy G Biv mnemonic: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
This is the order of rainbows. Read that again, with a smile.
A rainbow always has the same light pattern because each color reflects at its own wavelength.
In a primary rainbow, the colors are ordered
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet (Butler).
Colors in our youth can be the stuff of crayons, “smelly” markers, lunchboxes, and poster paints.
Adolescence brings a new wave of color psychology, maybe even identity groupings. A greenhorn is probably not also a goth, but it’s not impossible.
You’re totally in the know if you understand the Freaky Friday movie reference, “On Wednesdays we wear pink,” (Waters 2004). Cultivating your own color choices is a lifelong adventure.
Your feelings about color might have cultural influences, and you’ve probably been creating your color palettes for decades. The
accompanying memories of your color festooned timeline might be both comforting and cringeworthy.
Colors are mix and match, of course. Posters from the 70s era have distinctive styles. Mauve and sepia mixes have fascinating histories. The color of diamonds alone can keep a research adventure going for months. Color trends impact everything from clothes to homes to cars to personal wear as well as tech and fashion.
The awe a person feels about black diamonds on a ski mountain warning sign differs from the prestige populated when a person references the Black Prince’s (MOST famous) Ruby safely
ensconced in the Tower of London!
Similarly, color psychology can merge with jewelry allure. A belly button piercing multiplies the thrill of new bikinis, and hip hugging, low-rise waists with dangly, sparkling sexiness. An industrial piercing with three oil slicked discs thrusts a person into an underground, illicit-music, heart pumping, booming bass vibe.
The contrast of the two atmospheres, and the visuals they prompt, merge color psychology with the psychology of body jewelry. Add your personal music choices to the mix, and you are an
alchemist, curating your own fashionista collection, worthy of runway accolades.
Don’t take my word for it.
Hear about color from Meryl Streep playing Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada.”
Author Marti P.
Butler, Katherine. “11 Stunning Images of Rainbows and Their Less-Famous Cousins.”
Treehugger, Treehugger, 5 Nov. 2020.
Waters, Mark. Freaky Friday. Buena Vista Pictures, 2003