What Does the Color Green Mean?

Research in color psychology suggests that colors evoke psychological reactions, affecting moods and emotions. Sometimes, these reactions are related to the intensity of a color. In other cases, they're products of experience and cultural influences.

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Green Color Meaning and Psychology

In color psychology, colors made up of long wavelengths are considered "arousing or warm," whereas colors such as green that have shorter wavelengths are "relaxing or cool." Whereas our eyes must adjust to see colors with longer wavelengths, they don't need to adjust at all to see cool colors.

Green Is Calming

Shades of green can help put people at ease in a new places. For this reason, designers often feature green in public spaces such as restaurants and hotels.

One study found a "green exercise effect" on participants who exercised indoors while watching a video of outdoor space with a green overlay. They experienced less mood disturbance and perceived less exertion than when they watched the same video with a red or gray overlay.

Green Is Healthful

Generally, green conveys an image of health and vigor. Science actually backs up this impression with many studies implicating green in favorable outcomes. For example, people who spent time in nature surrounded by green vegetation—a practice the Japanese call "forest bathing"—had lower blood pressure than those who did not.

Green Is Natural

Green's calming effects might derive from its association with nature, which people typically experience as relaxing and refreshing. Some researchers think the positive association with green is hardwired in our brains from evolution: Early humans knew that green in nature indicated food, water, and shelter.

In ancient mythology, green commonly represented fertility. For example, ancient Iranians called the last month of winter “Esfand” because, at this time, spring and greenness return to the earth. In particular, they devoted the fifth day to the earth and women. Likewise, ancient Greeks portrayed Osiris, their god of the underworld, birth, rebirth, agriculture, and fertility, with a green face.

Because green has such strong ties to nature, we might be more likely to perceive something green as healthy and natural, even when it isn't. For example, one study found that people were more likely to consider a candy bar with a green label as a healthier option than a candy bar with a red label, even when the nutrition of the two bars was identical.

The term "green" has also come to mean "ecologically beneficial"; think green initiatives, green energy, green spaces, Greenpeace, etc.

Green Is Motivating

Although some find green a relaxing color, others say it motivates them. One study found that people with a "high need for achievement" more consistently chose the color green over the color red, which was more often chosen by those with a "low need for achievement." Study participants also associated words related to failure with the color red, and words related to success with the color green.

In stoplights, green indicates safety and permission to go, whereas red means "stop." In turn, the expression "to give the green light" conveys approval.

Research also has shown that creativity is likely to increase when people are surrounded by green plants and have access to green views of nature. Studies have shown that the color green can inspire creativity, too.

In one study, a green-lit environment improved reading ability in participants, whereas a red-lit environment reduced it.

Green Is Optimistic

Color influences not only our emotions but also our memories. One study presented people with a list of emotionally charged words written in different colors. They were then asked to recall specific words. They were more likely to recall positive words written in green, leading researchers to theorize that green carries more positive emotional connotations. Thus, the color green might elicit an optimism bias when it comes to remembering information.

Paper money is green in the United States, where the color is also associated with Irish-American culture, St. Patrick's Day, and good luck. Interestingly, one study found green may function as a good luck charm of sorts. Participants exposed to the color green experienced increased feelings of hope and decreased fear of failure.

Green Is Envious

For as much as green is associated with positive feelings, it can also indicate jealousy. You've probably heard the expression "green with envy." The origins of this phrase are unclear.

Green can also indicate physical illness, such as when someone's complexion turns green. The link between green and illness might have created the association between green and envy—as if envy were an illness of its own.

Shades of Green

The meanings of green can vary by shade. For example:

• Bright green: Rebirth, spring
• Olive green: Tranquility, earthiness, elegance
• Dark green: Fertility, greed, money, drive
• Yellowish green: Illness, envy, decay
• Aqua: Cleanliness, freshness, water
• Pale green: Peace
  

Uses of Green

The psychology of green is evident throughout daily life.

Manufacturers, advertisers, and others harness green's various connotations to convey an impression. For example, the packaging of sustainably made products often features green. Likewise, it's used in cleaning products, often along with blue, to convey freshness and purity.

Military gear, of course, is green to camouflage soldiers and equipment, and use of the color extends to apparel and other products meant to be associated with the military (e.g., fatigues, binoculars, etc.).

Concepts and practices relating to environmental concerns are frequently referred to as green (e.g., green energy, green initiative, the Green Party, Greenpeace).

Green cards, green lights, green thumb, green room—all are expressions that in one way or another draw on the various meanings of green.