Yellow is the shade of color that lies between the orange and green spectrum of light. It is a highly bright color that stimulates feelings of warmth, happiness, and positivity. The color yellow has been deemed sacred in many cultures and religions of the world.
Some people associate the bright color with spring, rebirth, and a gentle sign of warning. Yellow is the most luminous colors of all and can attract anyone instantly.
If you would like to learn more about the hidden meanings, myths, and facts about the color yellow, you should keep on reading this article.
Here Are Some Interesting Facts about the Color Yellow
1. The color yellow has different meanings in different nations
The color yellow holds different connotations in different regions of the world. While Japan associates the colour yellow with courage, Russia associates it with madness (as a colloquial expression for an insane asylum is a ‘yellow’ house).
Some parts of Mexico associate the color yellow, specifically marigold yellow, with death. The people who were condemned to die in the Inquisition wore yellow as a sign of treason. During the Nazi era in Germany, Jews were ordered to wear a yellow star of David or yellow clothing to discriminate them from the rest of the population.
2. The color yellow is also associated with religion
The color yellow is associated with religion, deities, and new beginnings in Hinduism and ancient Egypt. The color Yellow is associated with the Lord Vishnu in Hinduism and is deemed to be a highly revered color. It signifies chastity, purity, victory, and sensuality. Many unmarried young girls in India wear yellow-colored clothes. The color is also believed to keep spirits away.
Ancient Egyptians on the other hand believe yellow to be closely associated with gold, sun, and the abstract concept of perfection. Yellow gold was thought to be the substance of which the skin of gods was made from and was used to make their numerous statues.
The sarcophagus of the Pharaoh was also made of yellow gold as he was believed to become a god on his death. Yellow is also revered in Buddhism signifying humility.
Related: Fascinating Facts about Gold
3. Yellow is the most prominent color on the visible spectrum
Yellow is the most luminous color on the spectrum. It is one of the three primary colors among blue and red. It has a high saturation and high brightness value. The wavelength of the color yellow is 570 to 580 nanometers, and it has a frequency of 5.16 x 1014 hertz.
4. There are a lot of interesting myths about the color yellow
There are a lot of fascinating tales about the color yellow. Many people believe that the color yellow makes their surroundings more unpleasant. It is a myth that babies cry more in rooms that are painted yellow. Y
ellow is also negatively associated with sickness due to jaundice and diarrhea. Many housewives also believe that married couples fight more in yellow kitchens.
5. Yellow cards are shown to football players to denote a foul play
When football players have been penalized for a foul or for wasting the time of others during the game, they are shown a yellow card by the referee.
The yellow card signifies caution to the player and is called a ‘booking’. The referee keeps the player under observation and allows them another chance to stay in the game.
6. There is a reason why taxi cabs are mostly yellow
There is a very special reason why taxi cabs are yellow in the United States. In 1967, New York City ordered all taxis to color their vehicles yellow to cut down on unofficial taxi drivers and make them more easily recognizable.
Based on a study by the University of Chicago, a John D. Hertz thought to paint his car yellow to be seen from a distance. Yellow is a color that is highly visible even from a large distance. This is the reason why most public taxis are painted yellow for passengers to spot them easily at night and daytime.
7. There is a variety of ways to describe the color yellow
The color yellow can be described in a number of ways depending on the other shades added to it. There is the color saffron with a hint of orange, the mustard color with a bit of brown or black, and the color cream with a hint of yellow in white.
More colors that include the color yellow are amber, gold, maize, goldenrod, imperial yellow, cyber yellow, canary yellow, straw, lemon, blonde, butterscotch, and banana.
8. Yellow is the only color that reacts badly to black
The color yellow does not go along well with black. Yellow fails in comparison with red and blue which form beautiful deep blue and dark red shades when mixed with different amounts of black.
You may see a deep colour of yellow like mustard and deep yellow ochres, but you would be able to observe a dark yellow. When yellow is mixed with black, it turns into a sickly yellowish-green color that is unsightly.
9. Yellow can be made from a variety of sources
There are a variety of services where the color yellow can be made from. The color yellow can be made from the roots, leaves, blossoms, and bark of a range of different plants.
The different sources of the color yellow are celery, dandelion, peach tree leaves, alfalfa seeds, bay leaves, crocus, and hickory leaves. A common food dye called Yellow 5 is found in different foods such as pickles, pasta, and even marshmallows.
10. Yellow has an interesting psychological effect
The color yellow is thought to be highly refreshing and mentally invigorating. Some people believe that seeing the color yellow in classrooms and libraries activates our nerves, glands, and our brain, making us more alert and energized.
The color yellow is also believed to improve memory and encourage good communication. It is an exciting and bright color that can be uplifting and encourage different activities and interaction.
11. Yellow is used smartly by marketing companies to target children
The color yellow is strategically used by marketing companies to target children with bright colored advertisements and products. It is thought of as an unstable and spontaneous color associated with food and children’s toys.
Also, it is thought to be a childish color and is strictly not used by companies to market for men. Brightly yellow can be a great discouraging color for wealthy and prestigious men.
12. Yellow has a lot of negative stigmas attached to it as well
Yellow carries a lot of negative opinions and stigmas around it as well. It is known to be a color signifying cowardice, illnesses, and of mental sickness. The color yellow is also the color associated with excess and fame.
Vibrant and vivid shades of yellow are used by fashion designers to caution and highlight the wearer for their possession of excess wealth. Paler yellows are worn by people to signify modesty and can have an uplifting effect on the mood of others.
13. There are a variety of yellow natural objects
There are a variety of natural objects that are of yellow color. Many flowers like sunflowers, daffodils, daisies, marigolds, and others are colored yellow. Many fruits and vegetables have a yellow shade after ripening completely, for example: bananas, pears, and even bell peppers.
14. Vincent Van Gogh supposedly ate yellow paint to cheer himself up
It is a common myth that people believe that Vincent Van Gogh, a famous artist, used to eat yellow paint to raise his spirits. Van Gogh never ate yellow paint to make himself, but his physician’s notes tell that he wanted to poison himself by consuming paint and drinking turpentine. This was the case due to his mental illness which is why Vincent Van Gogh was not allowed in his studio during his attacks.
Vincent Van Gogh actually uses the color yellow a lot in his paintings. His famous paintings such as The Bedroom, The Yellow House, and Sunflowers feature different shades of yellow. Most people associate his paintings, due to the color yellow, with sunlight and warmth.
Yellow Color Psychology – Yellow Meaning & Personality
Yellow is the brightest color of the visible spectrum, and it is the most noticeable of all colors by the human eye.
The color yellow is a bright shade in the visible spectrum that is universally associated with happiness, sunshine, and warmth.
There are a few negative myths and beliefs of the color yellow, but the color is still used to this day for making taxis and school buses more recognizable. The color yellow can be found easily in nature in the form of ripe bananas, lemons, melons, pears, and many more fruits and vegetables.
The color yellow is also a revered color by Ancient Egyptians, Hindus, and Buddhists. We hope that you found these interesting facts about the color yellow intriguing.
I’m Natalie Garcia and I started this website to share my love of trivia, facts and fun knowledge tidbits. We cover things like celebrity gossip, historical facts, tv shows, world leaders and just odd and random fun things. I started this site to have some fun with my hobby and share some useful information with you, our community. Please feel to send me your suggestions and feedback through the contact form. And if you have suggestions for things to write about, please shoot me a message!