If you live in a place with four seasons or somewhere that can get extremely cold that it snows, then you are no stranger to the color white.  The first few snowfalls during wintertime are always enchanting, as tiny, white flakes fall out of nowhere and blanket a whole area with snow.  This is probably how the term “winter wonderland” was coined.  Of course, if you do not see anything else but snow, you will slowly begin to resent not being able to experience other colors.

White is a predominant color in nature.  Snow and ice are just the best representations of it.  The clouds on a clear day are also white.  Some flowers like roses, jasmine, chrysanthemums and daisies have their white varieties.  Animals such as the polar bears are white, which enables them to camouflage themselves because the place where they live has nothing but ice and snow, all white.  Ordinary cats and dogs may also be white and countless other animals have patches of white in their bodies.

It is interesting to note, however, that white is actually not a color.  White, like black, is a tone.  People often make the mistake of thinking that white is the absence of color, when this is really the characteristic of black.  Strange as it may sound, white is actually the combination of every perceivable color.  It sounds quite philosophical, in a way.

Perhaps due to the way nature uses this color, white has become popularly perceived as the color of purity, goodness and innocence.  When everything is covered in several inches of thick snow, and you see nothing else but snow, it becomes easy to see how everything around you is immaterial.

Because of this perception of white, the color is commonly used in religion.  Gods and their followers are, more often than not, clad in white clothing.  That is, unless they are the evil gods.  To express the holiness of someone or something, they are usually portrayed as basking in the glow of a white light.

To enhance further the perception of goodness in white, it is commonly used in combination with black.  These two colors are the complete opposite of each other and this best represented in the Chinese culture of Yin and Yang.  In the western culture, heroes are usually portrayed as pure, good and clad in dazzling white.  White knights always save the day and white witches (with some exceptions) only cast spells for the common good.

However, white does not always give a good aura.  It can also sometimes give the feeling of sterility, coldness or blandness.  Hospitals, with their walls, doctors and nursing staff all in white, cannot seem to shake off that dreadful feeling.  If you find yourself in a room painted in plain white and decorated with plain white furniture, how would you feel?  People would usually feel uncomfortable because they would be too on-the-spot or afraid they might soil something.  White is also the color of death in Chinese culture.  That irritating, static-like sound that the television gives off when it can’t find a signal is also called “white noise” and most people can’t listen to it for very long.

Between the warm and the cool colors, studies have shown that the cool colors like blue and green are the unanimous favorites. The warm and bright colors like red, yellow and orange are colors for bold expressions. They exude warmth, energy and passion. While blue and green evokes calm and relaxation.

Green evokes calm and relaxation

The color green is the second favorite color of both men and women, right after blue. The appeal of a green iPod, for example, may be broad as it transcends gender connotations. As opposed to blue, which is perceived as a masculine color, green is considered to be more unisex as it gives out a

3rd generation green iPod nano

The calming effect of the color green has been taken advantage of by experts the world over. It is a popular tip to look at something green from a distance to rest tired eyes, which usually result from being in front of a computer for too long or reading too much. Guests waiting to be called out during a television show may be more likely waiting in a “green room” to help them relax, which helps if they have stage fright. Employees who also work within a green environment are said to experience less stress and hence, get less experiences of stomachaches.

Green is also a popular symbol for prosperity, especially in areas where the US Dollar is in use. The color of the USD is green and, therefore, also the sign of wealth, capitalism and money.

Green symbolizes wealth

While the color red is used to convey warnings, green is used to convey that it is alright to proceed without worry. The best example of this is a stoplight, as red means “stop” and green means “go”. Likewise, giving something the “green light” means that it is safe to embark on a certain project.

Unfortunately, this color also has its share of negative connotations. It has traditionally been the symbol of jealousy, witchcraft, decay and the devil. In British and Celtic cultures (except maybe the Irish), green is perceived as an unlucky color. Someone is said to have a “green mind” if they always thought of naughty things. A tinge of green on the skin is thought as unhealthy and usually associated with nausea and sickness.

The positive messages conveyed by the color green far outweigh the negatives ones, though. So if you ever get that green iPod, many of your friends will be definitely be green with envy.

4th generation iPod nano