Emotions And Decision-Making: Examining The Effect Of Different Colors On Emotions And Decision-Making

In this study, we examined the effects of color on decision making. Our hypothesis was that the presence of color (red, blue, green) will have a correlated effect with certain emotions (anger, sadness, jealousy) when compared to decisions made in the absence of color (white). Our participants were undergraduate students from Winthrop University (recruited through their respective professors) and other adults (recruited through social media). In an online study we made on Qualtrics, we assessed the constructs of jealousy, sadness, and anger through three different scenarios and follow-up questions specific to each scenario and emotion. Jealousy was represented by green, sadness by blue, and anger by red. After analyzing the data, we found no significant results. Anger was the closest construct to having any significance, but it still was not statistically significant. Results concluded that perhaps there was not a relationship to find. However, there may have been a relationship that we could not find due to limitations of the study. One of these limitations was that the study was performed as an online survey. In further studies, it might be more beneficial to do a hard copy survey where the color variables could be better controlled. Another change that could be made is a section where participants have to match words for the emotions to colors. This would prime the participants to be in a specific emotional state, which could also impact their decisions