Citation

Valdez P, Mehrabian A. J. Exp. Psychol. Gen. 1994; 123(4): 394-409.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, American Psychological Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7996122

Abstract

Emotional reactions to color hue, saturation, and brightness (Munsell color system and color chips) were investigated using the Pleasure-Arousal-Dominance emotion model. Saturation (S) and brightness (B) evidenced strong and consistent effects on emotions. Regression equations for standardized variables were; Pleasure = .69B + .22S, Arousal = -.31B + .60S, Dominance = -.76B + .32S. Brightness effects were nearly the same for chromatic and achromatic colors. Blue, blue-green, green, red-purple, purple, and purple-blue were the most pleasant hues, whereas yellow and green-yellow were the least pleasant. Green-yellow, blue-green, and green were the most arousing, whereas purple-blue and yellow-red were the least arousing. Green-yellow induced greater dominance than red-purple.

Language: en