Beginnings of Color Psychology

In 1810, German poet and artist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe published one of the first books on color psychology. He believed colors could elicit certain emotions and talked about the meanings of different hues throughout his book Theory of Colours. He described yellow as “gladdening” and “serene” and associated blue with melancholy, for example.

When the book came out, the scientific community rejected it because it wasn’t grounded in scientific research and was mainly based on Goethe’s own opinions. But some of his insights, especially the idea that colors can affect our moods and emotions, have been validated by modern research. One of the first psychologists to conduct scientific research in the field of color psychology, Kurt Goldstein, expanded on Goethe’s work. Goldstein was a prominent German neuropsychologist who treated patients with central nervous system disorders.

In 1942, he conducted a series of experiments on five of his patients to determine whether or not certain colors could have an effect on motor function. Goldstein had his patients look at different red and green objects and observed the effect it had on their symptoms, such as balance problems and tremors. Red seemed to increase their symptoms, while green decreased their symptoms and improved their overall motor function. Goldstein hypothesized that red impaired motor function because it was a stimulating color, and green improved it because it was a calming color.

He believed viewing the color green would benefit everyone, not just his patients. Goldstein's color hypothesis is regarded as inaccurate because it couldn’t be validated by other researchers. Still, Goldstein’s work had a profound effect on modern color psychology. It popularized the idea that colors can cause physiological responses, which is still the subject of research today.