What does the color gold mean in Psychology?

These are the feelings and concepts associated with the color gold.

The golden color shines just by existing. Its chromatic characteristics make it stand out from other colors such as red and blue.

But this is not the only reason why this color attracts attention, but also because of the precious metal with which it has traditionally been associated: gold. This element is very rare in nature, making it very precious.

That is why the color gold has been associated with wealth and power, among many other meanings. Here we are going to see what the golden color means in PsychologyWe are also going to see some historical curiosities and current uses of this color.

The golden color: how it is obtained and its characteristics.

Gold is one of the rarest and most striking colors. It is named after the most characteristic metal of this color, gold, and is actually a shade of yellow, with a wavelength between 565 and 590 nanometers. is in fact a shade of yellow, with a wavelength between 565 and 590 nanometers.. The luminosity of this color will depend on the bright effect of the reflectance of the material.

Although it can be obtained by mixing artificial pigments and other compounds synthesized in the laboratory, traditionally gold has always been made with a small amount of gold. The shades are obtained from the metals with which it is mixed. Thus, yellow gold or the most normal gold is obtained by mixing it with silver and copper. Red gold, more commonly used in the past, contains copper.

This metal is characterized by its resistance to the action of acids and lyes and does not oxidize. There is only one way to modify its chemical properties, and that is to subject it to the action of a mixture of concentrated hydrochloric acid and nitric acid, which produces aqua regia, a substance that can damage gold.

What does the color gold mean in psychology?

The number of meanings associated with the color gold is very wide, all of them related to the strong connection between the color and the material from which it was originally obtained. Although this color is related to yellow, its meanings are not the same. To think of the color gold is to think of the precious metal from which it is obtained..

At first we can mention aspects such as wealth, power, abundance, ambition and luxury. It has also been associated with life and happiness, symbolizing success throughout life and in multiple aspects, such as work and family.

It has been associated with fidelity. This is due to the characteristics of the metal from which it was obtained, since gold is a chemical element that does not combine with other elements when molten. For this reason the wedding rings, which represent the fidelity that the spouses will have with each other, are made with this material.

Although money does not bring happiness, it helps to achieve it, and that is why the golden color has also been associated in equal parts to wealth and happiness. Everything that serves to gain wealth is related to this color, such as having outstanding qualities (e.g., a great singer has 'a golden voice'). Even though they are not things of this color, the word 'gold' is often used to refer to things that are very expensive, e.g. oil is 'black gold', porcelain and ivory are 'white gold'...

Gold is also associated with pride and merit.. It is the color associated with fame and awards, which in themselves represent the outstanding qualities of a person and their victory in obtaining them. Many awards are of this color and are also called 'golden' or 'gold': the Oscar Awards are golden statuettes, the Golden Globes are awarded in the cinema...

Gold is, undoubtedly, the color of luxury, excess wealth and exorbitant prices.... Gold and shiny suits are reserved for special situations, such as important events and parties. Gold jewelry, which is sometimes so flashy that it is no longer elegant, is a symbol of excessive wealth, a display of power. Objects that cannot be made of gold, receive a bath of this material and go on to see their price increase and receive the label of luxury items.

Cultural and historical meanings

Although the meanings given to the golden color throughout history are not very different from those mentioned in the previous section, it is worth mentioning some curiosities in relation to this peculiar color.

In the Middle Ages, alchemists were associated with this color. This is because they were determined to transform all matter into the precious metal, and focused their efforts on obtaining and searching for the Philosopher's Stone, which had the power to turn everything it touched into gold, a power shared with the fable of King Midas.

Since gold is, in truth, a shade of yellow, it has also been associated with the Sun, it has also been associated with the Sun. The rays of the sun are usually referred to as golden. Another curiosity related to this is how the Incas believed that gold was, in truth, the Blood of the Sun. In the same way that this material was associated with the sun, silver, traditionally seen as its antagonist, was associated with the moon in many cultures.

In painting, the use of gold has always been linked to pictures with pious motifs. For example, Russian icons in Orthodox churches to this day retain backgrounds with this color. It is a color that usually goes well with earth tones, and also serves to enrich the palette of reds and burgundies. The great Austrian painter Gustav Klimt associated this color with nobility, and his paintings, such as 'The Kiss', could not do without this color.

As we saw before, wedding rings are not made of gold only because the material has a high value, but because it lasts long and retains the appearance of the first time. it lasts long and retains the appearance of the first day. Gold never loses its value, nor is it thrown away. It endures, as all good marriages should. In addition, after fifty years of marriage, the Golden Jubilee is celebrated.

A curiosity, related to how this element is seen with luxury, is the case of Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. This peculiar character organized a big meal in 1980 in which he celebrated, literally, luxury. Gold cutlery was given to the diners, gold cups and potatoes, vegetables and roasts were served coated, as you would expect, in gold bread.

Some examples of how the color gold has been associated with evil and negative aspects can be found in the case of Thomas More who, in 1516, published a story whose plot took place in the land of utopia. Here the prisoners wore chains made of gold and performed forced labor.

Another case is that of the James Bond movie Goldfinger(1964) by director Guy Hamilton. In the film, there are people covered in gold, who pretend to see themselves as a symbol of wealth, however, the gold does not allow their skin to perspire and they drown in their own vanity.

In astrology, gold is associated with the sign of Leo (July and August), which is when the sun is at the top of the firmament. In turn, gold is associated with the monarchy and the upper echelons of the nobility.. Gold is associated with the king, in turn, the lion is the king of the animals, and the Sun is the king of the stars.

King Francis I of France ordered 13,600 gold buttons to adorn a single suit. In the 16th century this man was considered the most elegant of his time. However, to ensure that this remained the case, the king decreed that no person of rank below the crown prince could wear golden garments.

In heraldry, gold is considered one of the most important colors. Normally, coats of arms cannot have more than one metal represented, being either gold or silver, but there is an exception to this rule: the coat of arms of the Pope. The colors of the Vatican flag are gold and white, being in the white part the coat of arms, made of gold and silver keys, representing the gates of heaven guarded by St. Peter..

Main uses

Below we will see two quite interesting uses of the golden color, both in the field of health, although far from scientific evidence, and in the commercial field, specifically in marketing.

"Traditional "remedies

Colors, in themselves, do not have healing or magical properties; however, today it has certain uses that could be considered, to a greater or lesser extent, related to changes in behavior, although this is quite controversial.

In the Asian art of Feng Shui, there is a rule to place flowers or ornaments of yellow and gold in a room when you want to fix communication problems with people important to you. in a room when you are looking to fix communication problems with people important to you.

Although as we saw the colors do not have any magical properties that cure problems of any kind, it is worth mentioning that in alternative medicine, specifically chromotherapy, uses this color to combat, theoretically, psychological disorders such as depression.

This is because they believe that gold balances the mind, gives energy and happiness, although there is no scientific support for such claims. Following in the line of beliefs without scientific basis, in other alternative medicines it is believed that gold serves to transmute negative energies. For example, they recommend meditating for 10 to 15 minutes using the color gold to facilitate the flow of words.

Marketing

Leaving aside the spiritual and mystical world of chromotherapy and similar beliefs, we move on to something more real such as marketing. It is in this field in which gold is used to advertise to advertise luxury products or services. As this color is associated with luxury, at the minimum that offer a product under the slogan that is gold, golden or 'golden' justify the power to sell it at exorbitant prices.

Premium services, i.e., those that offer something that cannot be obtained at normal prices or for free, are normally sold with golden tones, which in themselves attract attention and capture the customer.

However, and resorting to the saying, 'all that glitters is not gold', just because it is gold does not mean it is better, it is simply another strategy to sell a product or service.

Bibliographical references:

• Clarke, T. and Costall, A. (2008). The Emotional Connotations of Color: A Qualitative Investigation. Color Research and application, 33(5): 406-410.
• Heller, E. (2004). Color psychology. How colors act on feelings and reason. Editorial Gustavo Gill.