Evaluation of color preference for emotion regulation

Abstract

This paper introduces a study on the relationship between emotion regulation and color preference. In the described pilot study, participants are asked to label uniform color images by using opposite meaningful words belonging to four semantic scales, namely “Tension” (ranging from Relax to Stress), “Temperature” (Coldness to Warmness), “Amusement” (Boredom to Fun) and “Attractiveness” (Pleasantness to Unpleasantness). Simultaneously, the participants have to indicate if they feel certain emotions while observing each colored image, as well as to rate the intensity of the feeling. The labeled emotions are “Joy”, “Happiness”, and “Sadness”. The results demonstrate that people generally perceive color emotions for one-colored images in similar ways, though showing some variations for males and females. Several conclusions about the relations between color and emotions are presented.