Connect With Green: Taking A Deep Look At The Psychology Of Green

A lot of people asked, what does green symbolize? Is green color negative? Why is green a cool color? Well, to answer a lot of questions related to the green color, here I am to clarify your understanding related to the psychology of the color green.

In this blog, we will be taking a deep look what does the psychology of the color green, how you can seek mental health benefits from green, and other important facts. 

According to the color psychologist, certain colors induce psychological benefits, emotions, or moods. One of the major facts is that the intensity of colors also plays an important role in such psychological reactions.

In some cases, some colors can be psychologically related to cultural influences or experiences. Talking specifically about the color green, green symbolizes nature, grass, forests, trees, and leaves.

When we think of nature, we think of freshness and tranquillity.  But there’s another side to the green color as well, you might have noticed in anime films that the green color is associated with money, envy, luck, and health. 

Moving forward, do you know that the intensity of the color also plays a major role in psychology and can completely change the picture? 

Well, now, let’s think of light shaded green color, it looks warm, arousing, and fresh… right? 

Now, let’s think of dark shaded green color, it looks dark, envious, and greedy…right? 

Now, let’s think of olive-green shade, were you able to connect with earthiness, peace, or elegance? 

Since green color is associated with growth, nature, renewal, calmness, and tranquillity, green color can have other psychological effects as well.

Shades of Green	Psychological Effects
Dark Green	Stability, strength, sense of luxury, wealth, security, grounding, relief of stress and anxiety
Light Green	Freshness, new beginnings, renewal, a sense of growth, feelings of optimism, and growth, relieve the symptoms of sadness and depression
Olive Green	Peace, harmony, sense of stability and balance, promotes calmness and relaxation, alleviates symptoms of anxiety and tension
Lime Green	Energy, excitement, sense of fun and playfulness, promote motivation and enthusiasm, alleviates the symptoms of lethargy and boredom
Emerald Green	Elegance, and sophistication, promote a sense of refinement and luxury, self-esteem, and self-confidence, and alleviate feelings of inadequacy and inferiority

Hence, you might now be able to understand the psychology of green based on intensities. 

Scientifically, the wavelength of the color green is short which means the green color mostly symbolizes coolness or relaxation. The fact is that our eyes need to adjust with longer wavelength colors and our eyes don’t need to adjust to see short wavelength colors. Hence, the color green is cool and relaxing. In short, the green color symbolizes: 

• Positive thinking  
• Maintenance of relationships 
• Improvement of overall well being 
• Instant relieves stress  
• Promotes healing 

Psychological Benefits of Green Color

1. Green promotes calmness

Shades of green such as lime green, olive green, or light green helps in promoting calmness. According to a study, the “green effect” can be beneficial for people living away from their loved ones.

Additionally, it can be beneficial for less exertion and less mood disturbance. This is why fashion or interior designers opt for green shades more because green color symbolizes calmness and harmony. 

2. Green welcomes positivity and health

Green color welcomes positivity and health which is why mental health or physical health centers are painted with shades of green. Psychologically, the green color favors positive outcomes.

For example, forest bathing, nature bathing, or nature walks are considered to have various physical and mental health benefits. 

3. Green is associated with nature 

The calming effect of the green color is so peaceful because it is associated with nature. This is why the green color is considered to be refreshing and relaxing.

The association of green color is so strongly connected with positivity that every time we think of green nature we think of shelter, water, and food. Additionally, in some cultures and countries, the green color is associated with fertility. 

In ancient times, Greeks portrayed green color with agriculture, rebirth, green face, fertility, underworld, and birth. Moreover, spending time in nature improves focus, promotes better impulse control, and alleviates the symptoms of stress and anxiety.

Green is so strongly tied to nature that it is considered to be natural and healthy. The different shades of green are likely to be ecologically beneficial which makes us think of green space, green energy, and everything green. 

4. Green increases motivation levels

Green is a relaxing color that directly motivates people to do better. When someone needs motivation to achieve something higher, you will see them opting for the color green over red because red is connected with low achievements or failure.

Green is connected with success therefore; green can be motivating in various aspects. Additionally, you might have observed traffic signals, wherein red means stop and green means approval. 

Sometimes, our thoughts related to the color green may also be based on our personal thinking or experiences. For example, if your country’s flag carries a green color, you might get automatically motivated to achieve something for yourself or for your country. Additionally, green can be associated with higher levels of creativity too. 

5. Green promotes optimism

Green promotes health, positivity, and optimism. Additionally, it can be a great influence on the memories too. One study shows that words written with green color can have a lasting impact on someone’s memory.

Additionally, it creates an optimism bias which can be great for living a healthy and wealthy life. you might have noticed that money or currency consists of hues of green because some people believe that green becomes good luck or charm. It increases the hope and reduces the fear of failure.  

6. Green can be envious too

Green is mostly connected with positive feelings but do you know that the darker side of green indicates jealousy or envy? We all have heard that green is envious.

You might also have seen the green color emojis on our phones which reflect puckishness, sickness, bacteria, and more. Wrong shades of green or too much green evoke a sense of isolation or stagnation.

Additionally, people who like green color are often seen as greedy or possessive in nature. Green is also connected with immaturity, boredom, or impatience. 

7. Green brings freshness, balance, and relaxation 

The green color is highly associated with positive feelings and emotions. It is well-known for promoting soothing and calming effects.

Green brings freshness, balance, renewal, and relaxation because due to its short wavelength, it reminds us of possible change and growth in life. Additionally, the green color is also associated with harmony and balance as it helps us feel centered and grounded.

Moreover, it also helps in restoring the sense of balance or equilibrium. It’s a fact that when we feel anxious or stressed, spending time in nature 

8. Green helps in effective therapeutic practices 

Green color is mostly used in therapeutic processes because it promotes a calming effect in the mind and body. It can be an excellent choice of color for people struggling with stress or anxiety-related conditions.

For example, in chromotherapy, the green color is often used to balance the energy levels of the body. In nature therapy, green color is used for promoting calmness.

Additionally, in aromatherapy, green essential oils such as lemongrass, peppermint, and eucalyptus are used to promote relaxation. 

Personality Traits Based on the Color Green 

Do you like the color green? Well, we all love the warm tones of green or the olive side of green… Yes, right? People who love the color green portray a different personality in psychology. Green personality is often seen as a logical, calming, or analytical personality.

Such people are known to be strategic thinkers, creative, and born leaders. They exactly know how to be in charge of their dreams or goals. Sometimes, such a personality makes them look antisocial or stubborn. The best part about green personalities is that they make decisions based on facts or data.

They believe in peacemaking, they are independent, modest, generous, down-to-earth, tactful, and reliable. They can effectively express their emotions and they are considered to be the best romantic partners because of their calmness, loyalty, and respect. Due to their higher independence, people often get frustrated because of them. But that does not make a green personality negative right? 

I have given you so many reasons to love shades of green, based on psychological or scientific reasoning. Let’s make a promise to save our mother nature and promote green not only for our mental health but for our future as well! 

I hope this blog helps you understand the psychology of green. Comment down and share your views on the same. 

Thanks for reading!