The Science of Color
“The Science of Color”
Gina Margolies
​
​
Why do people like flowers so much? Here at Floriography, we often ponder this question. Previous posts have explored various reasons: reminder of the renewal of life, innate desire for beauty, natural attraction to floral scents. We even analyzed the mathematics of flowers in an effort to understand the appeal. (Believe it or not, that post is our most popular to date.) Another possible explanation for the perennial appeal of flowers is color.
The word color has multiple meanings. In the natural world, color is the property of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way the object reflects or emits light. Science tells us that those sensations on the eye provoke varying reactions, including emotional responses. In a non-scientific sense, we could say color has a certain feel or mood to it.
There are varying tones, intensities, shades, and tints of every color. And there are varying degrees of response to colors, different feelings associated with different colors, different reactions to them. Here is what science, color theory, and design principles have to say about the feelings invoked by the most common flower colors:
Red raises the energy level and stirs excitement. There is even some evidence that red is an appetite stimulant, which might explain a lot about Valentine’s Day. Deep reds, like garnet or claret, can promote a feeling of warmth, while lipstick or fire engine can promote a feeling of excitement or high energy.
Pink can make us feel romantic, like love minus the passion and sensuality of red. Pink is often associated with femininity. Studies show it is soothing and can be beneficial in reducing anger and anxiety.
Yellow captures the joy of sunshine (people are naturally attracted to sunlight, just like plants). Yellow promotes happiness, is a spirit-lifter, and can be energizing, uplifting, warm, and welcoming.
Blue calms, feels serene and meditative. It evokes blue skies and beautiful weather, which promotes relaxation.
Purple is rich, dramatic, and sophisticated. Lighter versions such as lavender and lilac can have the same restful, calming quality as blue, with more warmth.
Orange excites and provokes enthusiasm. Orange is a vibrant and stimulating mix of red’s energy and sensuality and yellow’s happiness and friendliness.
And the one color all flowers have in common:
Green is the most ubiquitous color in nature. It is considered the most restful color for the eye, cools things down, often signifies health, and is sometimes associated with fertility.
There are a multitude reasons so many of us love flowers. Science suggests their beautiful, varied colors have something to do with it.