Emotional response to color across media

Abstract In this study, the characteristics of emotional responses to color are explored in two empirical studies. In particular, the relationship between color attributes and emotional dimensions—valence, arousal, and dominance—is analyzed. To account for the cognitive quantity of color, 36 color stimuli were selected following hue and tone categorizations and based on the CIELAB LCh system. In one experiment, the colors were presented on A5‐size glossy paper whereas the identical colors were displayed on CRT monitors in the other experiment. In both experiments, the subjects assessed the emotional responses to each color stimulus using a Self‐Assessment‐Manikin (SAM), which consists of three rows of five pictograms illustrating the three dimensions of emotion, respectively. The empirical results provide evidence that the patterns of affective judgment of colors can be profiled in terms of the three dimensions of emotion (Reliability coefficient, Cronbach's alpha > 0.7). All three attributes of colors, i.e. hue, Chroma, and Lightness, influenced the emotional responses (repeated measurement One‐way ANOVA, P 0.60 P < 0.01). Moreover, the results indicate that emotional responses to color vary more strongly with regard to tone than to hue categories. Comparing the SAM ratings between the two experiments, a systemic explanation has yet to be found to conclude that there is a media effect on the emotional responses to colors. Furthermore, the process of affective judgment of colors and the limit of color as an emotion elicitor are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Col Res Appl, 2010.