Color Psychology

Animal Behavior

Ghosts Are White for a Reason and So Are Barn Owls

Christine Mohr, Ph.D., and Domicele Jonauskaite, Ph.D. on April 25, 2023

Barn owls range from white to dark reddish-brown. In the moonlight, white ones hunt more successfully. Likely, they resemble ghosts scaring their prey to immobility.

Relationships

Red Is Associated with Love, but Do We Actually Feel It?

Christine Mohr, Ph.D., and Domicele Jonauskaite, Ph.D. on February 13, 2022

Color-emotion associations are shared across cultures, but association does not imply feeling.

Jealousy

Why Links Between Colors and Emotions May Be Universal

Christine Mohr, Ph.D., and Domicele Jonauskaite, Ph.D. on February 8, 2022

Recent research revealed high similarities in color-emotion associations in 30 nations. Linguistic and geographic closeness further increased it.

Personality

Does Your Favorite Color Tell People Something About Who You Are?

Christine Mohr, Ph.D., and Domicele Jonauskaite, Ph.D. on January 12, 2022

Popular websites and professionally-used personality tests claim that favorite colors can reveal personality. Scientific evidence contradicts them.

Consumer Behavior

What Do You Associate With “Royal Berry” or “Vanilla Scoop”?

Christine Mohr, Ph.D., and Domicele Jonauskaite, Ph.D. on January 28, 2021

Thousands of imaginative names exist for paint colours. Would these names evoke the same associations in everyone or vary by language and culture?

Consumer Behavior

What Makes Red the Color of Christmas?

Christine Mohr, Ph.D., and Domicele Jonauskaite, Ph.D. on December 20, 2020

Ever wondered why red is such a popular color for Christmas? Marketing aside, red has significant affective associations.

Stress

Can Colors Make You Feel Better?

Christine Mohr, Ph.D., and Domicele Jonauskaite, Ph.D. on December 17, 2020

If "chromotherapy" has a positive effect, it probably has nothing to do with the "chroma."