Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCharacteristics of YellowSymbolic Meaning of YellowYellow Is EnergeticYellow Can Be AggressiveYellow Is ComplexYellow Is Cheerful
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Characteristics of Yellow
Symbolic Meaning of Yellow
Yellow Is Energetic
Yellow Can Be Aggressive
Yellow Is Complex
Yellow Is Cheerful
Close
The color yellow can be bright and intense, which is perhaps why it can often invoke such strong feelings. Yellow can quickly grab attention, but it can also be abrasive when overused. It can appear warm and bright, yet it can also lead to visual fatigue.
At a Glance
“How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun,” the artist Vincent Van Gogh once said. In fact, joy and happiness are the emotions that the color yellow represents for many people.
Color Psychology Characteristics of Yellow
Some of the key characteristics that are often associated with the color yellow include:
Attention-grabbing: Since yellow is the most visible color, it is also the most attention-getting color. Yellow can be used in a small amount to draw notice, such as on traffic signs or advertisements. Researchers have found that yellow stands out more, making it a safety color to help draw attention to important information or dangers in a person’s environment.Difficult to read: Yellow is also the most fatiguing to the eye due to the high amount of light that is reflected. Using yellow as a background on paper or computer monitors can lead to eyestrain or vision loss in extreme cases.Energetic: Yellow can also increase metabolism.Frustrating: Yellow can also create feelings of frustration and anger. While it is considered a cheerful color, people are more likely to lose their tempers in yellow rooms and babies tend to cry more in yellow rooms.Warm: Yellow is a bright color that is often described as cheery and warm.
Some of the symbolic meanings of yellow include:
Interestingly, the symbolic meanings of color don’t always correspond to some of the metaphorical uses of the term. While yellow is often associated with joy, it is often metaphorically associated with negative meaning in different expressions, such as being linked to cowardice or fear.
How does yellow make you feel? Do you associate yellow with certain qualities or situations? Remember that the associations people have with colors are not necessarily universal. Both cultural differences and individual experiences can shape how people feel in response to certain colors.
Istockphoto
Learn more about how other people respond to the color yellow in this collection of responses that people have shared over the years.
As seen in the following quotes from our readers, yellow is often perceived as being a high-energy color. It is often used in situations and products intended to create a sense of excitement or energy.
It is bright and immediately grabs the eye. It can seem fresh, intense, overwhelming, or even brash and forceful in its energy.
“Fully saturated yellow is only good for brief exposure because its stimulating effect is so powerful that it can build up emotional energy quite quickly,” said one reader. “I know that I would probably go nuts in a house with LEGO yellow walls. Though it should be noted that a less saturated yellow, such as that found in whipped vegetable spread (faux butter) is mildly pleasing and cheery,” they continued.
“Yellow makes me feel cheerful and energized. I love the bright sunny color and the way it makes me feel. I feel warm, like summer. Perhaps sometimes startling, but then that is what energizes me,” suggested another Verywell Mind reader.
RecapFor many of our readers, yellow is a color that evokes a sense of energy and excitement.
Recap
For many of our readers, yellow is a color that evokes a sense of energy and excitement.
“I agree that there is a level of aggression and frustration associated with yellow. The walls of my school are all yellow and since the new building opened, more fights have occurred in the hallways where there is the most amount of yellow,” explained a reader named Jasmine. “Also, some of the classrooms that have yellow in them seen to be associated with more frustrated students.”
Other readers also reported that they personally find yellow an aggressive, or even abrasive color. “I find yellow to be a highly irritating color.
“When I’m in a yellow room, my agitation level increases whether I was in a good mood before I walked in it or not,” reader Allyson explained.
How you respond to yellow might have something to do with your personality. “One reason I believe I find it so annoying is that I’m anintrovertand yellow is a very exposing and in your face type of color which are traits most introverts would naturally have an aversion to,” Allyson said.
RecapYellow is exciting for some, but others find this quality more aggressive and irritating. One reader even suggested that yellow is more of anextrovert’scolor.
Yellow is exciting for some, but others find this quality more aggressive and irritating. One reader even suggested that yellow is more of anextrovert’scolor.
The Spruce / Ashley Poskin
Of course, the effects of yellow can be highly varied and complex. Not everyone responds to this color in the same way. While some people might find it bright and cheery, others may find it grating and obnoxious.
Some may associate it with a warm summer day, while to others it might be reminiscent of bad memories or associations.
“I like yellow. To me, it’s a happy colour associated with flowers and sunshine. But our kitchen is painted yellow and I find that my fiance, who has a short temper, almost always loses it in the kitchen. He also becomes much more impatient and argumentative,” another reader reported.
“I have always suspected that it is the colour of the walls. Guests also tend to eat their food faster at the kitchen table than when we entertain in the dining room (white) or outside,” they continued.
For many people, yellow is seen as a bright and cheerful color. Advertisers may use it to not only draw attention but also to evoke a sense ofhappiness.
“I had a math classroom that was painted bright yellow halfway through the year. It completely changed the atmosphere, and everyone’s grades seemed to go up,” reader Fred explained. “Our teacher joked it must be the new paint job, but I entirely believed it was. It gave a cheery atmosphere, and the lessons were far more light and enjoyable!”
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
RecapOther readers suggested that yellow exudes brightness, calling to mind things like light, vitality, energy, optimism, willingness to grow and outshine.
Other readers suggested that yellow exudes brightness, calling to mind things like light, vitality, energy, optimism, willingness to grow and outshine.
Summary
While the color yellow can evoke a lot of different psychological reactions, it is important to remember that these responses are often unique to the individuals. Some responses, such as the tendency to find yellow difficult to read, are more universal. Other associations are often cultural and even specific to each person thanks to different backgrounds and experiences.
The Psychology of the Color Yellow
4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Elliot AJ.Color and psychological functioning: a review of theoretical and empirical work.Front Psychol. 2015;6:368. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00368Hu K, De Rosa E, Anderson AK.Yellow is for safety: perceptual and affective perspectives.Psychol Res. 2020;84(7):1912-1919. doi:10.1007/s00426-019-01186-2Jonauskaite D, Parraga CA, Quiblier M, Mohr C.Feeling blue or seeing red? Similar patterns of emotion associations with colour patches and colour terms.Iperception. 2020;11(1):2041669520902484. doi:10.1177/2041669520902484Takei A, Imaizumi S.Effects of color-emotion association on facial expression judgments.Heliyon. 2022;8(1):e08804. Published 2022 Jan 25. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08804
4 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Elliot AJ.Color and psychological functioning: a review of theoretical and empirical work.Front Psychol. 2015;6:368. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00368Hu K, De Rosa E, Anderson AK.Yellow is for safety: perceptual and affective perspectives.Psychol Res. 2020;84(7):1912-1919. doi:10.1007/s00426-019-01186-2Jonauskaite D, Parraga CA, Quiblier M, Mohr C.Feeling blue or seeing red? Similar patterns of emotion associations with colour patches and colour terms.Iperception. 2020;11(1):2041669520902484. doi:10.1177/2041669520902484Takei A, Imaizumi S.Effects of color-emotion association on facial expression judgments.Heliyon. 2022;8(1):e08804. Published 2022 Jan 25. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08804
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Elliot AJ.Color and psychological functioning: a review of theoretical and empirical work.Front Psychol. 2015;6:368. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00368Hu K, De Rosa E, Anderson AK.Yellow is for safety: perceptual and affective perspectives.Psychol Res. 2020;84(7):1912-1919. doi:10.1007/s00426-019-01186-2Jonauskaite D, Parraga CA, Quiblier M, Mohr C.Feeling blue or seeing red? Similar patterns of emotion associations with colour patches and colour terms.Iperception. 2020;11(1):2041669520902484. doi:10.1177/2041669520902484Takei A, Imaizumi S.Effects of color-emotion association on facial expression judgments.Heliyon. 2022;8(1):e08804. Published 2022 Jan 25. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08804
Elliot AJ.Color and psychological functioning: a review of theoretical and empirical work.Front Psychol. 2015;6:368. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00368
Hu K, De Rosa E, Anderson AK.Yellow is for safety: perceptual and affective perspectives.Psychol Res. 2020;84(7):1912-1919. doi:10.1007/s00426-019-01186-2
Jonauskaite D, Parraga CA, Quiblier M, Mohr C.Feeling blue or seeing red? Similar patterns of emotion associations with colour patches and colour terms.Iperception. 2020;11(1):2041669520902484. doi:10.1177/2041669520902484
Takei A, Imaizumi S.Effects of color-emotion association on facial expression judgments.Heliyon. 2022;8(1):e08804. Published 2022 Jan 25. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08804
Meet Our Review Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
What is your feedback?
