Nevertheless the red roses, candies and cards inevitably show up on store shelves almost immediately after the Christmas and Hanukah decorations are put on clearance and shortly after our New Year’s resolutions are on their way out…
We always hear about the love stories, the cards and even the heartbreak, but what about the hue that has forever been tied to February 14th? Why red? Why not blue or green or purple?
According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of “Color: Messages and Meanings,” red is the most viscerally alive hue. It is the symbolic color of the heart, strong-willed and expresses emotion. Red is linked to love and passion, and is the most physical color in the spectrum. Physiologically, red is the call to the adrenaline glands to get the body and senses activated.
Word association studies invariably show red to be perceived as the most sensual of all the colors – a perfect hue for a day traditionally set aside for people to express their love for one another.
So whether you dread Single Awareness Day or embrace that certain someone on the national day of love, you can at least dress the part and know why.
Sweater set from JCrew
