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Color influence on perception
Perception works to interpret sensory information and involves both recognizing and responding to environmental stimuli. Color perception is not uniquely human, and it has evolved to enhance stimulus modality. Color influences perception by sending different signals through the nervous system that result in action. Physiologically, wavelengths of light pass through the retina and create neural impulses, which travel along the optic nerve to the visual cortex. This area of the brain controls and processes visual information, and color influences its responses. Since colors are associated with certain meanings, they effect perception and can act as visual cues.

Color impacts perception because people often see objects before they touch or smell them. Color vision is used as a sensory indicator to associate meaning with tone, because sight is an early measure of recognition. Since people form impressions within seconds, color plays an essential role in communicating feelings and emotion. Associating aesthetic stimuli with value can cause functional responses and attitude change. Color can lead to arousal, such as increased heart rate, which can in turn sway individual choices. For example, yellow is the most visible color because its wavelength is exactly in the middle of the visible spectrum. Due to its attention-getting properties, yellow is used to draw notice to important messages such as traffic signs. Color also influences the perceptions of size, speed, and temperature. This phenomenon helps explain the stereotypical male desire for red sports cars, because red relates to heat, danger, and energy. In support, studies have shown that the speed and strength of reactions actually increase when people see the color red. Color perception is also used to reinforce heuristics. Research demonstrates the associative learning of visual information develops during early stages of psychological growth as a key mechanism for quick decision-making and survival.

In general, people prefer objects to be a color that aligns with their expectations, for example water bottle labels are preferred in blue. As a perceptual tool, color attracts attention, conveys information, and evokes an emotional response. This allows for rapid presumptions, especially when paired with another sensory attribute. In particular, the palatability of a meal may be determined by the eater’s entire visual field, including the color of the food, plate, and tablecloth. In marketing and business strategies, color perception is used to strategically influence brand awareness and product features. Although cognitive recognition is partially subjective, historical values, religious affiliations, and social trends allow for cultural norms.

Different societies identify the same colors with very dissimilar meanings. Product designers must take into account consumers' cultural backgrounds because of potentially strong color symbolism. For instance, in China, a green hat is associated with infidelity, whereas in Ireland the same hat is a symbol of national pride or religion. Likewise, the Cherokee people symbolize blue as defeat or trouble, yet in Israel the color is perceived as intelligence, loyalty, and divinity. Aside from cultural connotations, people may perceive colors differently based on individual experiences or memories. Due to the high speed of associative internalization, color has an enormous impact on perception.

Color symbolism


Color symbolism is the association between color and the meaning it represents. Natural parallels with the environment and psychological connections from experiences are the two primary ways to derive meaning from color. For example, a soft shade of blue triggers associations with the sky and an emotional sense of calm. Color relationships often stem from cultural standards, and color may indicate different meanings depending on context. It is frequently used by companies to provoke emotion, and many logos and products are colored based on an attitude or message. For example, the Nickelodeon logo is orange to convey fun, energy, and youthfulness. The representation of feelings also helps shades and tones enable a quick understanding of everyday objects. Not only is color applied in modern symbolism, but it has been linked to many cognitive implications in the past. The discovery and practice of different color techniques has led to disparate meanings in various parts of the world.

History of study
Throughout history, color has been used for dyes, medicine, and storytelling. Early identity and expression methods used naturally occurring pigments to differentiate clothing and personal items. In Ancient Egypt, color was used for healing and to symbolize nature in religious temples. Pythagoras and Plato are linked with preliminary investigations of vision, speculating on how color and rays of light interact. Later, Aristotle first developed a theory of four colors corresponding to elements. Chromotherapy is a form of medicine that utilizes color to balance energy, and was first practiced by Avicenna, a Persian polymath. Color has long been affiliated with therapeutic qualities, and has been used to raise mental and spiritual levels. For example, red is supposed to assist in healing the spine, and blue helps the throat, although critics have labeled this practice as pseudoscience. Synesthesia is a neurological occurrence where cognitive pathways connect feelings with color. As a form of nonverbal communication, this condition works to capture awareness and transmit information. Color is also symbolic in many religions and nationalities, and different groups have different views on the meaning of colors.

Cultural, national, and religious differences
The same color can have very different connotations depending on the context. For example, green is associated with nature and communicates growth, freshness, and life. On the other hand, green may also be symbolic of good luck, money, and greed, implications that are not necessarily tied to plants. Further, while black has positive connotations of power and style, it can also be negatively symbolized as mournful or rebellious. The meaning of color can also change over time within a culture, for example the modern use of pink as a color for girls and blue as a color for boys was not always custom. Historically, there were no gender-specific clothing colors in America until the early twentieth century. Blue was acceptable for girls because it conveyed delicate, dainty, and soft qualities, whereas pink was viewed as strong and dedicated. At the time, red was tied to sophistication, and since pink was slightly less powerful, it was an appropriate color for boys. Many symbolic properties of color have been culturally ingrained throughout history. In particular, purple is associated with royalty because in classical antiquity the dye was so expensive only the very wealthy could afford it. Different parts of the world have conventions for social events. For example, Western cultures wear white at weddings to signify purity, while Eastern countries wear white at funerals to symbolize mourning. Color also translates to patriotism, because most citizens associate their national flag with unity and loyalty. Holidays are subject to color symbolism, for instance red and green together have become synonymous with Christmas. Colors meaning and representation are heavily dependent on cultural, national, and religious identification.