The arcane roots of colour psychology, chromotherapy, and colour forecasting

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Abstract

This article explores the genesis of the apparently disparate fields of colour psychology, chromotherapy, and colour forecasting. They came to the fore during the 20th century, and while ostensibly unrelated, their common ancestry lies in the late 18th and 19th centuries. This period witnessed the discovery of such strange forces as magnetism, electricity, X‐rays, and radio waves—in addition to odic forces and the colour aura. These were all invisible, mysterious, and to the public and many prominent scientists, equally plausible. This article traces a major influence back to spiritualism and Theosophy: both privileged colour and attributed powerful influences to it. This legacy remains, though not in the scientific domain. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 40, 99–106, 2015

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Most cited references 76

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Effects of Perceptual Fluency on Affective Judgments

Piotr Winkielman, Rolf Reber, Norbert Georg Schwarz (2016)

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The efficacy of light therapy in the treatment of mood disorders: a review and meta-analysis of the evidence.

Robert Golden, Bradley Gaynes, R Ekstrom … (2005)

The purpose of this study was to assess the evidence base for the efficacy of light therapy in treating mood disorders. The authors systematically searched PubMed (January 1975 to July 2003) to identify randomized, controlled trials of light therapy for mood disorders that fulfilled predefined criteria. These articles were abstracted, and data were synthesized by disease and intervention category. Only 13% of the studies met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analyses revealed that a significant reduction in depression symptom severity was associated with bright light treatment (eight studies, having an effect size of 0.84 and 95% confidence interval [CI] of 0.60 to 1.08) and dawn simulation in seasonal affective disorder (five studies; effect size=0.73, 95% CI=0.37 to 1.08) and with bright light treatment in nonseasonal depression (three studies; effect size=0.53, 95% CI=0.18 to 0.89). Bright light as an adjunct to antidepressant pharmacotherapy for nonseasonal depression was not effective (five studies; effect size=-0.01, 95% CI=-0.36 to 0.34). Many reports of the efficacy of light therapy are not based on rigorous study designs. This analysis of randomized, controlled trials suggests that bright light treatment and dawn simulation for seasonal affective disorder and bright light for nonseasonal depression are efficacious, with effect sizes equivalent to those in most antidepressant pharmacotherapy trials. Adopting standard approaches to light therapy's specific issues (e.g., defining parameters of active versus placebo conditions) and incorporating rigorous designs (e.g., adequate group sizes, randomized assignment) are necessary to evaluate light therapy for mood disorders.

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An ecological valence theory of human color preference.

Richard Palmer, Karen B. Schloss (2010)

Color preference is an important aspect of visual experience, but little is known about why people in general like some colors more than others. Previous research suggested explanations based on biological adaptations [Hurlbert AC, Ling YL (2007) Curr Biol 17:623-625] and color-emotions [Ou L-C, Luo MR, Woodcock A, Wright A (2004) Color Res Appl 29:381-389]. In this article we articulate an ecological valence theory in which color preferences arise from people's average affective responses to color-associated objects. An empirical test provides strong support for this theory: People like colors strongly associated with objects they like (e.g., blues with clear skies and clean water) and dislike colors strongly associated with objects they dislike (e.g., browns with feces and rotten food). Relative to alternative theories, the ecological valence theory both fits the data better (even with fewer free parameters) and provides a more plausible, comprehensive causal explanation of color preferences.

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Author and article information

Journal

Title: Color Research & Application

Abbreviated Title: Color Research & Application

Publisher: Wiley

ISSN (Print): 0361-2317

ISSN (Electronic): 1520-6378

Publication date Created: February 2015

Publication date (Electronic): December 09 2013

Publication date (Print): February 2015

Volume: 40

Issue: 1

Pages: 99-106

Affiliations

[1 ] National Institute for Design Research Swinburne University of Technology Melbourne Australia

Article

DOI: 10.1002/col.21862

SO-VID: 62362679-fdce-4f16-bcac-defebf2d4ad2

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http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor

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