What does the color gold mean in psychology?

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The meaning of the color gold is closely related to the sun, light and prosperity. Discover here how it has been integrated into people’s lives.

The meaning of the color gold varies from one culture to another, but in all of them it has one point in common: its association with the precious metal that gives it its name, gold. Both the material and the color are very difficult to see in nature, which makes it more precious to humans.

That’s why the color gold It is associated with luxury and power, as well as the divine and the sun. It appears in myths, symbols, architecture and religions in many places around the world, from the sarcophagi of the pharaohs to the mythical city of El Dorado.

Characteristics of gold

The word golden It means ‘covered with gold’ and comes from Latin aurum (gold). This color is actually a shade of yellow and has a wavelength of 565-590 nanometers. The luminosity of this color will depend on the material, that is, it will only be bright if its surface is polished and reflective.

As for metal, it is rare to see solid gold objects. The most normal thing is to mix a small amount of gold with other metals to give them their characteristic yellowish color. For example, the traditional gold color of jewelry is obtained by mixing it with silver, and red gold is obtained by adding it to copper.

Meaning of the color gold

Gold is directly associated with the material: abstract representations of this color allude, in one way or another, to metallic gold. That is why The main meaning of the color gold is related to wealth, power, abundance, ambition and luxury.

Due to the parallelism with prosperity, the color gold is also associated with longevity, happiness and success.

Fame and merit link directly to the evocation of success that the color gold provides. This is why medals, awards and other decorations are, if not gold, of a golden color. It also represents fidelity and continuity, as reflected in wedding rings.

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Its parallelism with excessive wealth and luxury is perhaps its most striking meaning in current times. Everything that attracts money or wealth carries with it the word “gold” or “golden”: oil is black gold, porcelain too. In fact, any object made with gold increases in price, in some cases regardless of its real aesthetic value, such as jewelry or clothing.

Gold in different areas

Humans are exposed to colors from birth, and the mix between the perceptual and the cultural makes it inevitable that we associate them with a multitude of concepts. Below you have a breakdown of the symbolism of the color gold in different areas and cultures.

in culture

The cultural representations of this color – in clothing, decoration, architecture and so on – do not differ much from each other in terms of meaning. However, each of these cultures add their own details to take into account:

Middle Ages: It was the color associated with the guild of alchemists. This is due to the search for the philosopher’s stone and his tireless research to transform any material into gold.Mesopotamia: symbol of divinity. The sacred buildings were decorated with gold and precious stones.Ancient Rome: The emperors related themselves to the divinities, so they surrounded themselves with gold. It was common for them to dye their hair with gold dust. The golden light of the sun granted divine wisdom.Judaism: Not being able to represent God in any way, they used gold in objects and buildings when they wanted to associate them with the divine.Ancient Egypt: Gold was the color that symbolized permanence in time and reincarnation. It was directly linked to the Sun and was used in artistic representations to represent the color of the flesh of the gods.Ancient Greece: This color was used to represent immortality. Where it is most often found is in representations of Zeus. Buddhism: for this religion, gold is the color of humility.

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in art

In painting, the use of gold has always been linked to paintings with religious motifs.. In addition, it is a color that usually combines brown tones -because of the earth-, reds and burgundy. Sometimes, gold leaf was used to highlight details about divinity, such as the halos of saints.

The use of the color gold is also very common in the Art nouveau. Although real gold was not used, but rather a mixture of pigments, it ended up becoming one of the most iconic colors of this artistic trend. His precursor was Gustav Klimt.

Gustav Klimt’s kiss

In marketing

In it marketing nothing is left to chance. In this area, the meaning of ostentation and excessive wealth takes on its greatest meaning. The color gold is used to advertise luxury products or services, which usually cost a lot of money.

However, advertising in everyday media has ended up adding a negative connotation to the color gold, considering it too flashy and ostentatious to be elegant. It can even have a tinge of vulgarity.

As we see, the color gold is directly associated with prosperity, life and imperturbability, qualities that the material shares. It would not be unusual for you to find more meanings for this tone in different cultures and areas, so from here we encourage you to satisfy your curiosity.