A Complete Guide to the Meaning of the Color Yellow

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Learn what yellow signifies in different cultures & religions
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Psychologically speaking, the color yellow is closely associated with joy, optimism, and vitality. It’s sometimes used to treat depression, as it can inspire happiness just by looking at it! If yellow is one of your favorite colors, keep reading for a comprehensive analysis of all its associations and symbolism, including how the bright hue is viewed in other cultures and the spiritual symbolism it carries.

What does the color yellow symbolize?

Yellow is largely used to signify joy, hope, and optimism. It’s thought to have stimulating and restorative powers, according to color psychology. On the other hand, negative connotations of the color yellow include cowardice, caution or danger, and disease.

Section 1 of 8:

Symbolism of the Color Yellow

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  1. In psychology, yellow is the color most closely linked to happiness, thought to help depression, reinvigorate the nervous system, stimulate memory, and enhance communication. Seasonally, it is associated with the sun and warmth typical of spring and summer. Additionally, yellow is the color of gold and honey, two hallmarks of luxury and wealth, especially during ancient and medieval times. Other positive associations of yellow include: [1]
    • Creativity : Yellow is often employed by artists as it leads to making unexpected connections and innovation.
    • Intellect: Yellow can improve memory and critical thinking skills, stimulating higher cognitive engagement.
    • Friendliness: Yellow encourages extraversion, chattiness, and cheerfulness.
    • Clarity: The brightness of yellow allows it to pierce overwhelming thoughts, offering clarity and logic.
  2. Despite its cheery appearance, yellow does surprisingly have some harshly negative connotations. The color of cowardice, danger, and disease, yellow is one of the most contradictory colors on the spectrum. The color’s relationship to cowardice is thought to be based upon the Christian belief that yellow was Judas’ signature hue. This might be where the term “yellow-bellied” originated, combining the cowardice of yellow with the body’s seat of conviction and intuition, the belly or gut. Here are some other popular negative connotations : [2]
    • Frustration: Science says that people are at a greater risk of losing their tempers in yellow rooms, including babies, which is why pediatrician’s offices often only feature touches of yellow.
    • Jealousy: Yellow bile was one of the four humors in medieval medicine, and a medical condition relating to it was thought to lead to irritability and jealousy.
    • Illness : Beginning with the four humors, yellow was later linked to conditions like jaundice, liver disease, and yellow fever.
    • Caution: Yellow is used to signal warnings all over the world, from road signs to medical equipment.
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Section 2 of 8:

The Color Psychology of Yellow

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  1. Color is a powerful influence in our lives, connecting visuals to deep emotions, and the science of color psychology examines how different colors impact mood and behavior. Yellow is a warm color, alongside red and orange. This color family can elicit a range of feelings, from cheerfulness to anger, with the some of the most commonly cited emotional responses to yellow being joy, hope, and an increased sense of caution or danger. [3]
    • A recent survey asked about 4500 people from 30 different countries what emotion they most closely identified with yellow and 52% answered joy. [4]
    • Although research demonstrates that certain associations are universal, reactions to color are rooted in culture and can be uniquely personal.
    • Color psychology, also known as chromotherapy or light therapy, can be used to treat certain conditions, with yellow believed to stimulate the nerves and cleanse the body.
    • As color psychology is a new science, further research is needed, but initial findings suggest that decisions based on color reveal more than involuntary responses to circumstantial interactions with color.
      • For example, seeing a yellow flower might momentarily make you happy but then gradually dissipate. However, choosing to drive a yellow car implies you’re a generally happy person.
Section 3 of 8:

Yellow Symbolism Across Cultures

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  1. Meanings behind the color yellow vary in Europe, based on the local history. In 10th century France , the doors of traitors and criminals were painted yellow, creating a longstanding correlation to jealousy, betrayal, and weakness. In Germany , yellow also symbolizes jealousy, along with something more sinister. During World War II, Nazis branded Jews with a yellow star as a symbol of their betrayal of Jesus. [5]
    • In Russia , insane asylums used to be referred to as yellow houses.
    • In Spain , those persecuted in the Inquisition were forced to wear yellow to signify that they were guilty of treason.
    • A number of European painters became famous due to their use of yellow, including Dutch painters Vincent Van Gogh and Piet Mondrian, as well as Austrian painter Gustav Klimt.
  2. In Asia, there are many mixed emotions behind the color yellow, as it’s both an imperial color worthy of honor and a racial slur. Referring to Asian people as “yellow” was coined by 18th century physician, Carl Linnaeus. This application of the term combined the “mysterious” and “seductive” connotations associated with Asia along with the “toxic” and “impure” connotations of the foreign, unexplored land. Ultimately, calling Asians yellow became weaponized by Europeans as a racial slur. [6]
    • In China , yellow is an imperial color, symbolizing power, aristocracy, and wealth. Yellow is also related to pornography in Chinese culture, with a “yellow book” referring to a pornographic magazine.
      • Moreover, yellow stands for summer, the earth, and good luck. [7]
    • In Japan , yellow represents courage, prosperity, and the finer things in life, relating to gold and silk.
    • In Thailand , yellow corresponds with Monday, a very important color since it represents the King of Thailand.
    • In India , yellow is a sacred color used in many ceremonies, like weddings, where brides are anointed with yellow turmeric and draped in yellow marigolds.
  3. Across the African continent, yellow mostly has positive attachments to it, and is often reserved only for leaders and militants of high rank in many African countries. It shares a likeness with gold and is therefore closely linked to wealth and success. Yellow also symbolizes warmth, happiness, fertility, and abundance as a result of its correlation to the sun. [8]
    • Egyptians in particular viewed yellow as akin to gold. Traditionally, gold was used to lacquer mummies and daubed on tombs before the dead made their way to the afterlife, linking yellow to death and mourning.
  4. Many Native American cultures perceived yellow to be a very important color, as it is the color of gold and corn, synonymous with money and abundance. The Navajo, the Apache, and the Iowa had specific beliefs about yellow, as they studies the cosmos closely and knew how integral the sun was to sustain life. [9]
    • Aztecs assigned colors to cardinal directions, and yellow could represent north, south, east, or west, depending on the ritual.
    • Mayans associated yellow with corn and death, as they thought that corn was made by Gods and was necessary for life.
    • Bright yellow is linked with death and mourning rituals in some parts of Mexico.
    • In the early 1800s, a “yellow-dog” referred to something worthless in the United States.
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Section 4 of 8:

Yellow Symbolism in Spirituality

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  1. Derived from ancient Vedic practices and beliefs, chakras are defined as concentrations of energy in different parts of your body. Each chakra governs a different area and corresponds with a color. The Solar Plexus, or Manipura, chakra is yellow as it pertains to the stomach, symbolic of vigor and conviction. “Opening” your solar plexus is thought to empower, strengthen, and heal. [10]
  2. Auras are believed to be invisible wreathes of energy around a person, signaling certain personality traits and moods. Those with yellow auras are sunny, friendly, and charming, with captivating personalities that light up any room they enter. They exude confidence and warmth, and are typically popular and very well liked among their peers. [11]
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Section 5 of 8:

Yellow Symbolism in Dreams

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  1. Seeing yellow in a dream might inspire hope and joy, but parsing through all the major elements of the dream is key in order to truly understand what your subconscious mind may be trying to tell you. The kind of yellow object you’re seeing, the specific shade of yellow, and the feeling it conjures up in your dream are all important factors to note, as well as cultural influence. [12]
    • Seeing yellow in a dream can signal happiness, wealth, transformation, and strength.
    • It could also highlight a time for mourning, a warning to take extreme caution, or a fear of betrayal or illness.
Section 6 of 8:

The History of Yellow

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  1. The use of yellow pigment dates back 17,000 years. Yellow pigment was one of the first ever used as paint in prehistoric caves, originally derived from ochre. It became a popular choice among artists in Ancient Rome and Egypt, usually employed to illustrate skin color. The color “Indian yellow,” which is defined by it’s deep and rich mustard hue, dates back to 15th century India, created by cowherds who fed their cows a strict diet of mangoes and then collect their urine. [13]
    • Indian yellow was first used to paint frescoes and color fabrics. In medieval Europe, it was used to depict someone as an outsider, with Judas being the most famous rendition showcasing this.
    • Across many religions, deities associated with the sun were shown wearing yellow.
    • In Buddhism, yellow grew to symbolize humility.
    • You can extract yellow from the roots, leaves, flowers, and bark of myriad plants, including celery, dandelion, and hickory.
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Section 7 of 8:

Fun Facts About Yellow

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  1. It might be hard to believe, but some people have a fear of the color yellow, and it has a name: xanthophobia. The DC superhero, Green Lantern, might be one of them, since his kryptonite was the color yellow. As a muscly and powerful superhero, he probably didn’t have much of a “yellow streak,” which is an expression used to describe cowardly tendencies. Keep reading for more fun facts about this bright and zany hue: [14]
    • Coldplay’s hit single, “Yellow,” was inspired by a Yellow Pages telephone directory found in the recording studio.
    • A number of fast food restaurants, including McDonald’s and Burger King, have logos that feature yellow and red, because that’s the most likely combination to make you hungry.
    • "Yellow journalism" is synonymous with “fake news,” referring to exaggerated or fabricated media used to attract readers.
    • The iconic yellow smiley was created by Harvey Bal in 1963. He was paid $45.
    • In the In the United States, it’s illegal to dye margarine to give it the appearence of yellow butter.
    • Yellow has its own day of celebration, called Yellow Day, which falls on June 20 every year.
    • If you were born in November, your birthstone is either yellow topaz or citrine. Citrine is French for “lemon” and both birthstones are striking shade of yellow. [15]
Section 8 of 8:

Different Shades of Yellow

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  1. 1
    Light shades of yellow include “lemon chiffon” and “light goldenrod.” Although all shades of yellow cab elicit positive emotions, lighter shades conjure up particularly calming feelings. A “lemon chiffon” yellow may remind you of your mom’s delicious best pie, filled with sweet curd, while a “light goldenrod” yellow is like a sweet spring day. Here are some other light shades of yellow: [16]
    • “Butter”
    • “Daisy”
    • “Pastel”
    • “Light canary”
    • “Cream”
  2. 2
    Medium shades of yellow include “corn” and “banana.” Not all medium yellow shades have fruit-inspired names, but it’s so much fun when they do! A medium shade of yellow may invoke feelings of joy, optimism, and excitement, like the sky on a perfectly sunny day, with no clouds in sight. Here are some other medium shades of yellow: [17]
    • “Sunflower”
    • “Bumblebee”
    • “Safety Yellow”
    • “Gold”
    • “Royal yellow”
  3. 3
    Darker shades of yellow include “saffron” and “trombone.” These deep mustard shades can be used to describe metals, curries, and wild butterflies. This shade is close to orange and brown, offering more earthy and sumptuous hues of yellow, like that of whiskey in a glass or the last slice of a sunset, disappearing over the sea. Here are some other names for darker shades of yellow:
    • “Hunyadi Yellow”
    • “Sand”
    • “Dijon”
    • “Taxi Cab Yellow”
    • “Mikado Yellow”
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    What does the color yellow symbolize in dreams?
    Lisa Marchiano
    Dream Interpreter and Certified Jungian Analyst
    Lisa Marchiano is a dream interpreter, certified Jungian analyst, licensed clinical social worker, and author based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She trained at the Inter-regional Society of Jungian Analysts and is on the faculty of C. G. Jung Institute of Philadelphia. Lisa is the co-host and co-creator of the popular depth psychology podcast This Jungian Life. She is also the author of "Dream Wise: Unlocking the Meaning of Your Dreams", "Motherhood: Facing and Finding Yourself", and "The Vital Spark: Reclaim Your Outlaw Energies and Find Your Feminine Fire". She has developed an approach to psychotherapy that is practical, creative and interactive to help people going through difficult times or life transitions. Lisa has a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and a Master of Social Work from New York University.
    Lisa Marchiano
    Dream Interpreter and Certified Jungian Analyst
    Expert Answer
    Archetypically, yellow is a very solar color, so it likely symbolizes consciousness and awareness.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8808066/
      2. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180906-did-animal-cruelty-create-indian-yellow
      3. ↑ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00426-019-01186-2
      4. ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494419307625
      5. ↑ https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/jewish-badge-during-the-nazi-era
      6. ↑ https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/09/27/647989652/if-we-called-ourselves-yellow
      7. ↑ https://bigchill.com/inspiration/blog/8-colors-symbolism-chinese-culture
      8. ↑ https://bykerwin.com/africas-vibrant-colour-palette-symbolism-in-art-music/
      9. ↑ https://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/navajo-understanding-eclipses
      1. ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/chakras
      2. ↑ https://www.keen.com/articles/psychic/yellow-aura-personality
      3. ↑ https://www.color-meanings.com/color-yellow-mean-dream/
      4. ↑ https://www.winsornewton.com/blogs/articles/indian-yellow
      5. ↑ https://www.thefactsite.com/facts-about-colour-yellow/
      6. ↑ https://prestigegemsstore.com/birthstones-by-month/
      7. ↑ https://www.eggradients.com/shades-of-yellow
      8. ↑ https://www.color-meanings.com/shades-of-yellow-color-names-html-hex-rgb-codes/

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