The Color Psychology of Red: Love & Power

Imagine slipping into a crimson dress or a crisp red dress shirt for a night on the town. Close your eyes and think about the feeling you get when you’re in a room lit with ruby lights, a glowing red aura surrounding you. There’s something about the color red that is mysterious, alluring, and even sexy – and today we’re going to explore why this shade, the beginning of our rainbow, gives us the sensations that it does.

Every single color under the Sun vibrates at a different frequency and affects our body in unique ways. This is the premise behind color psychology, which suggests that each color has a different, unique psychological effect on our minds. This also explains why many of us gravitate towards certain shades and hues; perhaps these colors fill our aura with the exact vibrations we seek.

Why is red associated with love? Imagine Valentine’s Day decorations in yellow and blue. It seems mismatched, right? Let’s see what it is about the color red that makes us feel romantic, sensual, and passionate.

The Meaning of the Color Red

Red is an extreme color. Have you ever heard someone describe a moment when they became incredibly angry as, “I saw red.” While red can be associated with passion and love, it also represents anger, violence, and danger. Next to purple, red is one of the rarest colors in nature, which made it a fascinating and powerful shade. It is also associated with religion, magic, and was thought to be a masculine color. Its connection with power may explain why 77% of all of the globe’s flags include this color.

Did you know? There are at least 23 shades of red, and it is connected to the concepts of courage and danger.

Passion

While pink is associated with love, red relates to love as well as passion, sexuality, sensuality, and desire. Perhaps it is the intensity of the color red that connects it so deeply to these feelings, or perhaps it is the primitive, physical energy of this color that gives it its well-known sex appeal.

Think about how you feel with deep, crimson shades surrounding you, or with a full pout or matte red lipstick. The primitive nature of red connects us to our more primitive, sensual nature, taking you out of your head and reminding you to follow your heart.

Red is also connected to fire, which represents heat and warmth, leading to its link with passion and emotional heat.

This also ties to the concept of desire, which is why many fast-food restaurants use red in their branding. The desire that red creates attracts consumers to eat more.

Read This Next: Cerulean Senses: The Psychology of the Color Blue

Power

Shades of red are linked leadership qualities, and focusing on or surrounding yourself with the color red will help you feel empowered. Do you have an interview or a first date coming up? Visualize red surrounding you or buy red lighting for your sacred space and bask in its energy.

In no time, you’ll feel stronger, more courageous, and more powerful.

Energy

Red is energizing, perhaps due to its connection to the Root chakra. Our Root chakra represents our basic needs, our sense of security, and our ability to maintain grounded energy. When this chakra is properly balanced and flowing, you feel more energized and alive.

In fact, simply surrounding yourself with or visualizing the color red can work to heal the Root chakra. If you ever feel insecure in your material or emotional life, slip on a red outfit and light a red candle, visualizing this energy and its vibrations flowing directly to your Root chakra and sending healing energy.

Looking at the color red also makes the heart beat faster, which may result in an adrenaline rush or increased physical energy.

Courage

Red is thought to increase courage, giving you the confidence and the drive that you need to accomplish certain anxiety-inducing tasks.

Wearing red makes you feel more powerful, and therefore more courageous. This may be why the little-red-dress on date night is so popular!

Intense Emotions

Some of the emotions linked to the color red are rather pleasant, like passion, romance, and sensuality.

Yet this color is also associated with extreme emotions like anger and violence. In fact, a preference for this color over others, like blue, can even indicate an angrier personality than most.

Scientists suggest that this connection may result from our ancestors and evolution, as this color was traditionally tied to danger and bloodshed. Red was a marker for potentially dangerous situations in terms of evolution. Additionally, our faces become red when we’re angry, which further connects this emotion to the color red.

Romance

Finally, and perhaps most notoriously, red is associated with romance. This is why we send red roses to someone we are romantically involved with or attracted to. And this association is also responsible for the smattering of red decorations, like hearts, roses, and Cupids, on Valentine’s Day.

In fact, it is said that wearing red often makes people seem more desirable and sexually attractive.

Bringing Out Your Fire with Red

So, the next time you feel like bringing out feelings of passion, desire, and romance, grab the red candles, the red lamps, and your favorite sexy, crimson outfit. Or close your eyes and visualize your body bathed in red light to energize yourself and promote confidence, strength, and personal power.

Related Article: Violet Vibrations: The Ultimate Guide to the Color Purple