ABSTRACT—Color is a ubiquitous perceptual experience,
yet little scientific information about the influence of color
on affect, cognition, and behavior is available. Accordingly,
we have developed a general model of color and
psychological functioning, which we present in this article.
We also describe a hypothesis derived from this model regarding
the influence of red in achievement contexts. In
addition, we report a series of experiments demonstrating
that a brief glimpse of red evokes avoidance motivation
and undermines intellectual performance, and that it has
these effects without conscious awareness or intention. We
close with thoughts on the need for rigorous scientific work
on color psychology