The Colors of Emotions in Machiguenga

Abstract

Tested for synesthesia between colors and emotions among minimally acculturated Machiguenga Indians of the Peruvian Amazon. Eight men and 10 women were asked to name the colors of chips and to identify the chips that most closely represented 9 emotional terms. Results show that the Machiguenga were at Stage V system of color nomenclature: They had 6 color terms and the focal colors were found universally. Data also support evidence that there are cross-cultural regularities in the way emotional terms are used since there were ready translation equivalents for the emotion terms used except for the concepts worried and anger. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)