Green is a color that is often associated with nature, growth, renewal, and good fortune. In many cultures around the world, the color green has taken on symbolic meaning and is thought to bring luck, prosperity, and abundance. But where does this association come from and is there any truth to the belief that the color green can actually impact one’s luck and fortune? In this article, we’ll explore the origins of green’s lucky symbolism, look at examples in history and culture, and examine whether there are any scientific explanations for why people may experience more positive outcomes when interacting with the color green.
The History and Symbolism of Green
Throughout history, green has often represented life, rebirth, and renewal. Ancient Egyptians used green minerals in burials to symbolize rebirth into the afterlife. Ancient Greeks and Romans associated green with fertility and growth. In the Middle Ages in Europe, green was used to represent nature and the natural world. During the Renaissance, green took on more positive symbolism and was associated with health, prosperity, and hope.
Green is the color most associated with spring, a time of new beginnings and renewed growth after the dormancy of winter. It also evokes the lush green foliage of summer. So psychologically, we tend to associate green with ideas of vitality, fresh starts, and the abundance of nature.
Examples of Green Symbolism in Myth and Folklore
Green has played an important symbolic role in myths and folklore around the world:
- In Irish folklore, green was the color of the fairies and leprechauns, bringing luck to those who could catch one.
- In China, jade, a green mineral, has been prized for centuries and thought to bring prosperity.
- Ancient Egyptian priests and priestesses wore green eye makeup made from malachite powder to honor the goddess Hathor.
- In Arthurian legend, the Green Knight represented nature’s abundance and vitality.
- During the Renaissance and Baroque eras, European nobility wore green gemstones like emeralds and peridots to showcase their wealth, status, and good fortune.
So green has long been equated with the positive qualities of nature, boundless growth, and the energy of life itself. These associations have cemented its status as a fortunate color in many cultures.
Green in Modern Culture and Branding
In modern business, green is still strongly associated with positive qualities. Green is often used in branding to evoke feelings of freshness, health, environmental friendliness and tranquility:
- Starbucks predominantly uses green in its branding to give a natural, peaceful feeling.
- Animal Planet uses green to reflect life, nature, and the environment.
- BP rebranded from British Petroleum to Beyond Petroleum, adopting a green and yellow logo to emphasize its renewable energy efforts.
- John Deere’s tractors and agricultural equipment are known for their iconic green and yellow color scheme evoking growth, nature, and spring.
Green is also strongly associated with wealth and prestige in modern culture. For example:
- Having a “green thumb” refers to having a talent for gardening and growing plants.
- In the U.S., the greenback dollar evokes ideas of prosperity and financial success.
- Describing someone as “green with envy” implies they are desirous of what another person has.
So associations between green, growth, and good fortune persist in the modern world. But are these associations just cultural superstitions? Or does the color green actually have measurable effects on people’s perceptions, moods, and behaviors?
Psychological Effects of Green
Some scientific studies have indicated that exposure to the color green can positively impact people’s moods, attitudes, and behaviors:
- Hospital rooms with green walls have been shown to have a calming effect on patients, reducing anxiety and pain perceptions compared to white walls.
- Looking at green surroundings boosts creative performance, while red surroundings improve skill-focused and detail-oriented tasks, according to one study.
- Participants playing computer games in green backgrounds were better at creative tasks than those viewing red or grey backgrounds in one experiment.
- Office workers were found to have more job satisfaction and better workplace attitudes when they had green plants present.
So there is some evidence that green environments can promote relaxation, creativity, and positive moods compared to more chaotic or monotone settings. The color seems to have an inherent harmony and balance that people respond to.
Explanations for Green’s Positive Effects
There are a few possible explanations for why green seems to have measurable psychological benefits:
Evolutionary Perspective
As green is strongly associated with vegetation, fertility and growth, humans may have an innate, evolutionary draw towards green surroundings, which once indicated food-rich areas and safety.
Mental Restoration
Green represents nature, which has been shown to have restorative powers that reduce mental fatigue and restore attentional capacities after demanding mental tasks.
Positive Color Psychology
Green is considered a “cool” color, giving a calming effect as opposed to “warm” colors like red and yellow which stimulate the senses.
Signaling Safety
Green is the color of permission and indicating that it’s safe to proceed. Think green traffic lights. So it subconsciously gives people a feeling of safety and assurance.
| Explanation | Summary |
|---|---|
| Evolutionary | Green historically signaled fertile/food-rich environments, which humans are innately drawn to. |
| Mental Restoration | Green represents nature and helps reduce mental fatigue, restoring attention capacities. |
| Positive Color Psychology | Green is a cool, calming color that reduces stimulation compared to warm colors. |
| Signaling Safety | Green indicates permission to proceed and gives an innate sense of safety/assurance. |
So while green may not actually alter someone’s luck or fortune, it does seem to have positive impacts on mood, perception, and behaviors that could have downstream effects in many domains of life. The associations between green, growth, and good fortune seem to have some scientific explanations after all.
Conclusion
While believing in luck may seem superstitious or unscientific, the persistent association between green and good fortune across cultures and history does have some empirical support. Exposure to green environments, symbols and stimuli can induce positive moods, feelings of tranquility and safety, improved creativity and cognition, and more.
So surrounding oneself with the color green and evoking its natural, calming properties may not directly bring luck itself. But by enhancing mood, reducing anxiety, restoring mental faculties, and signaling safety, green can certainly play a part in helping someone feel more energetic, focused, creative and primed to take on new challenges and opportunities. In this way, believing in the lucky properties of green may be somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
