What’s in a happy colour

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Angie is co-founder of YLF and its resident fashion stylist.

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What’s in a happy colour

— by Angie

on January 8, 2010

The Budget Babe made an interesting comment about this week’s post on Spring 2010’s new palette in action:

“I love colors, I really do, especially as found in nature…but why must “happy” always be intertwined with bright colors? Gray and black are happy colors for me.”

I mentioned this to Greg and then he said: “I think black and grey are happy colours too. Just like Chris Cornell is happy music for me, even though it is quite dark, because it makes me happy”.

Hmmm. Chris Cornell’s music makes me happy too, so this got me thinking. What makes a colour a happy colour? Is it the colour itself, or the way the colour makes you feel when you wear it? Or both? Why do bright, saturated colours conjure up feelings of fun and happiness? Is it the associations with a warm sunny day and the blossoming of Spring flowers?

I do think of bright colours as happy colours. But I can feel just as happy wearing a fabulous black garment as I can wearing a bright citron item. I find black and white colour combinations happy too. In fact, I think of white or off-white as one of the happiest colours of all.

What do you think? Can colours like black, grey and brown be happy colours?

Colour

35 comments · Add a comment

rae

I think there is a difference between a happy color and a color that makes one happy — the colors themselves carry their own connotations (as Angie mentioned, the bright, sunny, flowery day). It may be something of a pathetic fallacy but, if you were to color a picture in grays and blacks, it would be sure to communicate sadness, simply by association to clouds and rain, as if the world you colored in is “crying” along with you — even if you might love the rain personally. It isn’t some kind of prejudice against black or gray; it’s just a natural association, the same way that fast food chains found out that red and yellow stimulate the “let’s eat” parts of the brain.

January 8, 2010 at 3:23 pm

priscilla

Member

A happy color is the color that makes you feel good

January 8, 2010 at 3:27 pm

Mamapicklejuice

Veteran

Eh, I like my LBD as much as the next gal, and I wear it to happy occasions – and yes, I feel happy in it. But…I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say it’s a happy color. People like moody jazz music, too and it probably makes them happy, but it doesn’t transform the song into ‘happy music.’ Sorry, long winded way to say, I don’t think that “dark” music, books, colors that make you happy have to, in and of themselves be defined as “happy.” That would be like saying, “I love watching tear-jearker movies, they make me happy, therefore they must be happy.”

January 8, 2010 at 3:35 pm

Mamapicklejuice

Veteran

Ha – rae said it much more diplomatically than I did.

I’ll tell you one thing – YLF makes me happy and YLF is a happy place!

January 8, 2010 at 3:37 pm

SusanH

I don’t know what I think about happy colors, but I think that if Angie keeps posting twice a day, we’re quickly going to become very spoiled.

January 8, 2010 at 3:51 pm

taylor

Black is my happiest color because I mix everything from neutrals to brights with it, my wardrobe would be very unhappy without it…I can do without every other color, but not black:)

January 8, 2010 at 4:08 pm

Queen Mum

Veteran

I agree- Angie posting twice a day is my happy color!

I agree also with Rae and MPJ- yellow, orange, etc. are “happy colors” but I wouldn’t classify black and brown the same way, even though I might be quite happy wearing them.

I think also, an outfit can put across a “happy” vibe regardless of color- I think of polka dots, ruffles, florals… those could be classified as “happy” regardless of what color they are done in.

January 8, 2010 at 4:14 pm

journey

you continually amaze me, Angie. you open up new ways of looking at even the old black and grey standbys. love it.

oh and what about black and white photographs that can capture joyousness almost better than color photography? it suddenly becomes all about the face portrayed and it’s emotion.

January 8, 2010 at 4:14 pm

klauren

Active Member

Ooohhh! I agree, Angie twice a day could be the happiest addiction ever! Black and white together always seems so crisp and happy to me. Grays seem calming, serene – like to wear them when it’s going to be a hectic day. What ever you feel really good in are happy colors.

January 8, 2010 at 4:45 pm

Kari

Veteran

I think that I associate bright colors with joy and energy simply because where I live, it is dark and gray for so much of the year, and I long for some color. I also feel like I look fresh and energetic when I wear the right color. However, I feel like my red hair acts as a bright on its own (particularly when it’s freshly dyed) and lets me get away with wearing black and grey better than I would otherwise look.

January 8, 2010 at 5:14 pm

marianna

Veteran

I think a cultural we have been trained to associate certain colors with moods. For example, one would never wear yellow to funeral because we associate yellow with happiness. We wear black and dark colors to funerals to symbolize the somber mood. But that’s only because we have been socialized that way!

January 8, 2010 at 5:28 pm

Meredith

This is a very interesting psychological question!

Marketing and branding experts have managed to give ordinary things such as cars, shoes and purses a soul. So that we convince ourselves we are are not just buying these objects, we are buying a bit of power, sex, love, or happiness.

While colors haven’t been specifically marketed to represent these things specifically, I think that marketeers and artists understand that people often do react viscerally to certain colors, and they use this knowledge to their advantage. I remember reading an article years ago the suggested that certain color palette choices could even be indicative of social class. (Of course I can’t find any reference to that article now, so I’m probably imagining it.) There are also lots of different web sites that claim to understand the psychology of color. Here is just one….
http://www.precisionintermedia.com/color.html

As for me, I think any color can be a happy one, especially if it is something I love. I am wearing a black and gray palette today, and it makes me happy, because I LOVE this outfit!!

Very interesting post!

January 8, 2010 at 5:33 pm

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Aha! You’ve noticed the days of double posts. Thanks for the encouragement.

These perspectives are varied and interesting.

Kari, your red hair definitely acts as a colour in your ensembles. Good point.

Taylor, you crack me up. That’s a great personal way of looking at colours.

Hah, MPJ! The colours of YLF were specifically chosen because they actually make me happy! That apple green is my favourite colour and the illustration of me depicts a black and white outfit – another happy favourite. I’m glad that YLF makes you happy too.

January 8, 2010 at 6:01 pm

Tanya

Veteran

YLF makes me very happy too, and double daily posts even more so.

I agree that bright colors are happy colors, but I also find that other colors that I really like make me happy so they are MY happy colors, such as beautiful silver grey.

January 8, 2010 at 6:16 pm

Maya

Veteran

Double the fun! Woohoo.

Colors have cultural and personal associations that we can’t escape from. Graphic designers have to study these associations carefully (same with shapes). As an example, white is a color of mourning in some countries while it is a wedding color in others. Not being aware of this could result in a serious faux pas.

Then there is just simple psychology and evolution (at least that is what I suspect). People tend to be happier in spring and summer, when flowers bloom, the grass is green, and the sky is bright blue. By contrast, the gray overcast of winter gets people down.

While I like certain colors, they don’t make me happy. I like gray and black, but I don’t feel cheerful or smiley when I see those colors. By contrast, the YLF colors make me very happy!

January 8, 2010 at 8:27 pm

janestigee

Member

A happy color has to be a color – white, black and grey are important, but they are modulators of color. To be happy, a color has to be flattering. Or you love it so much, you find a way to wear it.

January 8, 2010 at 8:38 pm

Luinae

(website)

I’m pretty sure it’s the way the colour makes you feel when you wear it! However, in rooms, I love yellow and green to look at, but not to wear. Is that wierd?

January 8, 2010 at 8:51 pm

Cricket

What about black and white wedding photos or baby photos … gorgeously happy!

And Angie … I’ve been pleasantly surprised the last few days to see another YLF posting later in the day.

January 8, 2010 at 10:25 pm

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I actually think the dictionary definitions throw great light on this subject

Bright was found in the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary at the entries listed below.

•bright adjective LIGHT
•bright adjective COLOUR
•bright adjective INTELLIGENT
•bright adjective HAPPY
•bright noun
•bright spark noun
•go/turn (bright) red
•bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
•look on the bright side

neutral was found in the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary at the entries listed below.

•neutral adjective NO OPINION
•neutral adjective NOT NOTICEABLE
•neutral adjective SCIENCE
•neutral noun VEHICLE
•neutral noun NO OPINION
•carbon neutral adjective
•gender-neutral adjective

Definitely food for thought Angie. I have to admit it is colour combinations which make me happy. I also realised that although I’m new to introducing colour to my wardrobe I actually sport a vast array through my tattoos. I spent countless hours pondering what combinations I preferred before consulting an artist. Therefore I can say my favourite clothing combinations are black and cream or steel blue and bitter chocolate but my all time favourite colour combination is jade and coral!

January 8, 2010 at 11:11 pm

Laura65

The seven chakras of the body each correspond to a color ray … and each color ray brings up its own unique set of responses and emotions in us. Also, to Angie’s point about Greg, in my experience, males tend to see color differently than females. I notice this as I dress two boys every morning!

January 9, 2010 at 4:29 am

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

I am enjoying the double posts too!

Coincidentally, I was pondering a similar question when I got dressed this morning, so it was a nice surprise to see you address in the afternoon. I talked about it in my blog post, but essentially this is what I said:

I had been pondering that very question as I got dressed in the morning. I really wanted to go with bright colors today, but I wasn’t disappointed at all to end up in darker, muted ones. For all my enjoyment of the bright and the bold, I also enjoy going with blacks, browns and greys at times. To me, being able to wear darker colors and still keep it fresh and interesting is a skill I am trying to master; I don’t want to think of wearing all black (something I rarely wear) as a cop-out because I couldn’t find anything else to wear, I want to do it as a deliberate choice. So today’s variations on browns made me very happy, even if the colors of the outfit can’t really be defined as “happy colors”.

Great question, Angie! And some great responses; lots of food for thought here.

January 9, 2010 at 4:53 am

Kyrania

Active Member

I am VERY much into spirituality, human conditioning, auras the psyche and much more….COLORS play a HUGE role in many areas of both the spiritual and mortal existence. I’ve been involved in color planning for hospitals, psyche wards and schools….color has been used to stimulate parts of the subconcious for YEARS!

I carefully plan my color palette when painting an image, a scene and when designing a character….it helps with storytelling, creating a specific feeling or mood…i think it is the same with wardrobe….it supports the cover image of the story…of me.

When i wear red i do feel energy, passion, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, love, aggression, danger AND people do respond to me on conscious as well as a subconcious level through use of color.

When i wear black I feel power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, mystery…..

To me PINK is love…..warmth, happiness, youth and FUN.

Here is a little bit more on color….i DEFINITELY know and appreciate the use of color, in wardrobe as both expression and communication…

http://www.buzzle.com/editoria.....-64166.asp

NOT that i am always assesing and distressing over outfits….i know the subconcious does have to put in it’s 2 dollars worth and sometimes the concious is just along for the ride….

January 9, 2010 at 6:52 am

Joy

Veteran

This is an interesting question and the answer may be different for each of us. Probably associations with a color can make it a happy color for someone. I had a favorite aunt that almost always wore brown. From an early age brown made me happy because of association with her. (Later I associated brown with chocolate and that makes me happy too!)
To name a happy color in general I think it would be a clear aqua blue. Red and orange are too passionate, which is not neccessarily happy. Yellow seems too hot.
Aqua is still warm without being too warm and conjures up thoughts of an island paradise and clear, still pools.

January 9, 2010 at 9:06 am

shiny

Veteran

Interesting blog post. I agree that white is a happy color – a crisp white shirt, a cream purse, pearls, white pleather or denim jacket – all of those things add energy and vitality when I put them on.

A head-to-toe black outfit – no matter how many textures I manage to incorporate – does make me feel somewhat depressed. I feel it drains the energy right out of my face. If I can add a dash of color somewhere – a brightly colored purse or scarf, or a necklace of pearls or silver (another happy, energetic material for me)- I feel a lot better.

As for gray, depends on the shade. If it’s a light gray with a blue undertone, I do find that color cheery. A charcoal gray? No.

January 9, 2010 at 10:20 am

Queen Mum

Veteran

my husband is painting my laundry room today to match my kitchen- yellow! I just walked in there and said “I just love this color- it makes me so happy :-)”
so I guess yellow is a happy color for me

January 9, 2010 at 11:40 am

Melanie

Active Member

I just bought a bright daffodil yellow silk top with elbow length batwing sleeves and pin tucks down the front and a scoop neck. I love it and I’m wearing it today with pearls and a big ethnic-y gold chunky pendant. Over the top is a caramel cashmere cardi because it’s cold here in London today. Every time I look down I smile at the lightness of being I feel seeing the divine yellow. The top was reduced by 70% because not many people like to wear yelllow. I am a medium to light skin toned, turquoise eyed, highlighted bob blonde of a certain age and I’m pretty sure I look better in this combo than dreary old black. I hate black and brown because I feel they turn me to dreariness. My favourite colours are orange, yellow and pink and I wear them when I find them with dark denim, cream leather jacket and grey or caramel.

I’m slowing eradicating black from my wardrobe but my translucent, brown eyed beauty of a 23 year old daughter wears black a lot and on herit’s luscious and chic.

I will wear bright colours until the end of my life for the pleasure they give me!

January 9, 2010 at 12:51 pm

rute

Veteran

I just love black, I’m happy with black from head to toe, I feel chic in black, it’s the cut, the fit that matter.

January 9, 2010 at 12:58 pm

yublocka

(website)

Veteran

As much as I love black, it doesn’t scream “happy” to me in the same way that my tiny pop of yellow watch does. Maybe it’s innate, maybe it’s conditioning, who knows. All brights make me happy!

January 9, 2010 at 6:28 pm

Kelsey

As long as you’re wearing a smile any color can be a happy color!

January 10, 2010 at 1:19 am

mamark

For me black is often a happy color. I feel elegant and expensive and – well not slim, but slimmer – in my favorite black garments. It’s when I try to pair black with so-called happy colors that it all goes wrong and makes me unhappy, so my general rule about black now is to only wear it with gray, white or more black. I dabbled with dark blue and black together for a while but for me it’s not as happy as all black.

January 10, 2010 at 1:06 pm

All Women Stalker

(website)

Definitely. It’s just a matter of conditioning.

January 11, 2010 at 8:15 am

cathy

I have been thinking about this too, how to make my wardrobe *seasonless* and that means keeping the black & grey year round and adding neutrals like tan (or brown). I am wearing a black and white striped fitted tunic top and a black leather jacket, black bag, scarf and flats, a very darkish outfit today, and I feel happy. Yes, I like brights. I think neutrals are seasonless and can really make a wardrobe go further. I don’t like black with brights that well though I read according to Isaac Mizrahi that brights can be anchored with black… so sure, black, neutral, brights, it’s all good.

January 11, 2010 at 6:43 pm

Maria Killam

(website)

No I don’t think you can call them happy, when someone asks me for a happy blue, I pull out a periwinkle or a turquoise not a blue gray. . .

I think happy is personal though, if black is happy to you, then it’s happy, but I don’t think you can say that in general!

March 24, 2010 at 6:33 pm

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(website)

[…] little sad in hope that they’ll cheer me up during the day (extra lipstick helps too). For me, a happy outfit means bright colours, strong colour contrasts and bold patterns, as opposed to a more monochromatic and sophisticated […]

April 22, 2010 at 8:27 am

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November 23, 2010 at 2:36 pm

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