Question: why do people find some colours more pleasing than others?

Rowena Fletcher-Wood answered on 17 Mar 2014:

Colours have deep psychological triggers – I’m not sure anyone knows why this is! Most research explores which colours trigger which responses, not why, but there is a degree to which it must be inherent because of animals in nature having warning colours like red and yellow. Colours which are found in nature tend to be more happy secure colours, whereas unusual colours are less pleasing: this is part of a survival instinct. For example, if something looks “the wrong colour” or you feel a dislike to the colour, it may be mouldy or unnatural and the instinct is there to stop you eating it.

Light and dark colours give happy/sad feelings because we are diurnal creatures awake in the daylight. We need light to survive, so it has an instinctive happy feel. There is a really long Finnish word, “kaamosmasennus” which means “the depression which is brought by darkness”. In the UK we call it SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder. In the winter, lots of people become depressed because of the lack of natural light. SAD lamps can be bought to alleviate this affect. In the same way, light colours can make a person feel happier and dark and washed out palettes can make you feel sad!