Has anyone else woken up in the morning and just felt dread at the thought of getting out of bed? Like the world is covered in a thick grey fog and it is too difficult to do anything? When this happens, is it raining or grey outside? Is the room you are in painted in grey or have a cold grey light coming through the windows? This heavy dampening or even depressing feeling may in part be because of the colour and the psychological effects it has on humans.
Colour is essential to us. We can see a huge variety of shades, up to 10 million, all which hold some significance due to our mental associations with those colours. We can link colours to many things such as memories, items, or even concepts like war. This is because when the brain views colour in the memory being made, the chances of stimuli being transferred to memory are increased. Allowing our brain to compare and recall information more effectively. This aids our memory when it comes to remembering scenarios. For example, if someone sees a colour similar to the walls in their childhood bedroom, it may help them picture their room in more detail, and they may even think of a specific occasion when the walls were important. On the other hand, if someone has a traumatic memory, and they or someone else was wearing a certain colour, then that colour may remind them and give them anxiety.
The effect of colours on our mood is so influential that it is called Colour Psychology. Because of its influence, it is used by marketing teams, who go through rigorous processes to choose colours for products and advertisements so that they will sell best. Colour communicates things on a less individual scale as well. For example, green is occasionally used by petrol companies in marketing as it represents nature and life. The company wants to present itself as good for the environment despite the fact that it is selling oil. Red is often used on stop signs and traffic lights as it has associations to danger such as the bright warning colour that resembles many poisonous fruits or blood. People even use it to demonstrate things about themselves. Such as black or white for mourning, or yellow for vibrancy and joy.
In Europe and North America in the 1930s, grey came to symbolise industrialisation and war. Its previous connotations with industry have now come to mean modern, and grey is often used in minimalist architecture and housing décor. It has become so popular because it is a neutral shade that fits well with most colours. Therefore, it is easy to rent and sell properties with grey walls or fixed furniture. However, it is never seen as a happy, uplifting, or ‘fun’ colour; and often has connotations with indifference, sadness, and frigidity, giving it an isolating or depressing feeling if one is surrounded by too much grey. Generally, it brings down the energy of a room and mutes the other colours in the area. In this way it is used in prisons, intentionally or unintentionally, to convey a sense of control, lack of hope, and dampness, which may reduce rebellion or plans to escape.
Unfortunately, our world, especially urban environments like London, are becoming more and more grey. According to The Guardian, ‘Elephant’s Breath – described as an “uplifting” mid-grey, with a hint of magenta – has been called a paint colour of the decade in the UK, ranking among Farrow & Ball’s top 10 shades for the past 12 years’ and ‘Sherwin Williams’ top 50 colours, meanwhile, span from beige to dark grey but mostly split the difference with a rich spectrum of greige.’ Whist the top three new car colours in the UK (2022) are Grey – 25.7%, Black – 20.1%, and White – 16.7%.
Increases in the colour grey has been noted in other areas of life as well. In October 2020 an analysis done by the Science Museum group studied the colours in more than 7000 photographs of everyday objects from around 1800 to present day. They grouped them into 21 categories based on use and counted the colour of each pixel in all the photos. The study found that 40% of all the objects from 2020 were black or grey, compared to a very low 8% in 1800. Although the objects studied were not selected randomly, as they were part of a collection, The results still show a significant increase in the use of grey in everyday objects. The increase of grey objects in modern society also has to do with the increase of objects in general. Yes, grey objects have increased since the 1800s, but so have coloured objects, as we produce so much more than we did then. Furthermore, in urban environments, such as London, grey is everywhere! From concrete, to the constantly cloudy sky, to the Thames, and even buildings, grey is a constant in our background environment without us even realising it.
Luckily, there are some positive effects from grey as well! It is a neutral colour and when used in moderation can create feelings of calm and safety. It can promote concentration, as it relaxes the mind in a non-distracting way allowing one to fully focus on their work. When mixed with other colours, it can create different tones and shades of grey, thus making warm or cold environments without changing its neutral calming base. Grey is a chameleon colour of sorts if used properly. Ultimately, the colour grey is not a bad or negative colour, nor is it positive. It is completely neutral. However, the excess of grey in our environment can be a problem. Its use as an easy-to-style base has made grey products easier to sell, with manufacturers increasing their production and therefore their prevalence in our lives. The excess of grey surrounding us then elicits negative emotions such as isolation and dullness. If you feel like your environment is too grey and affecting your mood, you could try wearing bright articles of clothing and accessories or consider adding some brighter décor in your home. Grey should not be allowed to subconsciously negatively influence our emotions and adversely affect our lives.
