Colors are perceived through our vision, while sounds are experienced through our hearing, which might make them seem unrelated. However, even though color and sound use two different senses, they may have a closer relationship than we think. Colors can correlate with taste, temperature, and time, so they frequently impact other areas of our lives without us realizing it.
The connection between color and sound is more prominent for some people than others. But are the two truly related? And if so, how does that intriguing interplay actually work?
Is There a Real Connection Between Sound and Color?
Yes, there’s a relationship between sound and color, but it’s not clear and consistent for everyone. There are a few different ways people relate color to sound.
Waves in Sight and Sound
Both color and sound rely on waves. Although they do so in different ways, they both use waves to alter and interact with the environment, enabling us to perceive them.
We see colors because of different light wavelengths. When light shines on an object, certain wavelengths are absorbed while others reflect off it. The color wavelengths that reflect toward us are the ones we perceive an object as. On the visible spectrum, red has the longest wavelengths, while violet has the shortest.
Sound wavelengths are created when an object makes a sound by vibrating. These vibrations cause air molecules to bounce around and vibrate, triggering a chain reaction that spreads as sound waves. The molecules keep moving and generating sound until they run out of energy.
Light wavelengths travel about one million times faster than sound waves. However, sound waves are significantly larger than light waves. While the process is very different for each, both color and sound use a variety of wavelengths so we can perceive them.
Musical Notes and Color
Sir Isaac Newton assigned each of the seven colors of the rainbow to one of the seven notes in a musical scale. The correspondence appears as follows:
- Red = C (Do)
- Orange = D (Re)
- Yellow = E (Mi)
- Green = F (Fa)
- Blue = G (So)
- Indigo = A (La)
- Violet = B (Ti)
Newton felt that each color represented a note, and he saw violet as a reoccurrence of red, which is why it comes full circle back to red after going up the scale.
Many people have studied this concept and believe musical notes relate to colors. Other cultures in history, such as the Greeks, had similar ideas, even though some linked colors to the notes differently than Newton did. So, there is a link between the two, but there’s still so much more to learn. Linking colors with musical notes could be an interesting way for people to learn scales and notes.
Synesthesia
About 1-2% of the population can experience colors when they hear sound. This phenomenon is known as chromesthesia, which is a type of synesthesia. Synesthesia is when someone connects sensory information to an unrelated sense. Chromesthesia, that’s associating color with sound.
When people with chromesthesia hear sounds, they involuntarily experience colors, shapes, and movements with those sounds. This is different than someone trying to imagine what color a specific sound would be. For those with synesthesia, it happens without them trying to focus on it. People experience it differently, but many associate specific musical notes with certain colors.
Those who experience colors when hearing sounds are also more likely to pay attention to color associations and symbolism in their everyday lives. Chromesthesia isn’t the same for everyone, so two people who have it might still perceive different colors when listening to the same sounds.
Color Symbolism
Even without chromesthesia, many people can connect certain sounds to specific colors if they think about it. Both colors and sounds can evoke particular feelings, so if we study those emotions, we can find a correlation between sound and color. An obvious example is blue, which relates to sad music or the sound of a baby crying. On the other hand, yellow could be associated with joyful music or the sound of laughter.
There are many common associations between color and sound, but personal experiences and contexts can influence them. So, one color could be linked to different sounds depending on who you ask and when.
Sounds With Color Names
Sometimes, we use colors to describe types of sounds. The most obvious is “white noise,” a term used to describe background noise. Some other examples include blue noise, which refers to sounds with high frequencies, and pink noise, which refers to low-pitched sounds. Brown noise and violet noise are extreme versions of the two, with brown noise describing extremely low noises, such as deep thunder, and violet noise referring to extremely high-pitched noises, such as high-pitched ringing.
Since these noise types can be described using colors, those colors are typically what people picture when they hear noise of that type. For example, turning on a white noise machine might make people think of the color white.
What Colors Are Associated With Which Sounds?
Even though everyone perceives colors and sounds differently, there are plenty of common links between color and sound. This is especially true for music genres and colors. Here are some examples of sounds that each color might relate to.
Blue
Blue is often associated with relaxation and sadness, so those types of sounds might also make people picture the color blue. For example, sad music or relaxing background noise could be associated with blue. Many people also associate jazz and blues music with the color blue. Sounds that remind people of blue items, such as waves crashing or rain falling, could also relate to this hue since water often appears blue.
Yellow
Yellow is a bright, joyful color, so you can expect happy sounds to relate to yellow. If you’re listening to happy music or hear sounds that remind you of cheery memories, there’s a good chance you’ll associate those noises with yellow. Sometimes, you might be reminded of something yellow when you hear a sound, such as imagining fluffy yellow chicks when you hear chirping or thinking of the sun’s warmth whenever you hear a sizzling sound.
Red
Red is an intense color sometimes associated with anger. Loud, sudden sounds that surprise us or annoying sounds that frustrate us may appear red in our minds. We might also think of red when we hear sounds we perceive as warm, such as the crackling of a fire. Many music genres, including rock, Latin, and rap, also make people think of red.
Green
Green is a calming color that can help us feel more connected to nature. We may think of green when we hear relaxing background noises or peaceful melodies. You might think of green when listening to country or folk music because it often makes people think of the outdoors. Green is also commonly associated with sounds from nature, such as rustling leaves, wind blowing, or frogs croaking.
Purple
Purple is frequently perceived as a magical or luxurious color. People often imagine purple when they hear dainty or whimsical sounds, such as a flute’s melody or a gentle chime. It might also appear in someone’s mind if they hear a sound and aren’t sure what it is because it might sound otherworldly. Electronic dance music is the genre that’s most commonly associated with purple.
Orange
Orange is a bright, lively color that’s full of energy. So, if a sound feels energetic, such as someone shouting or an explosion, people might think of orange. It may also relate to exciting sounds, such as people cheering or upbeat music. Also, since orange is a creative color, it’s linked to many music genres, including reggae, soul, and funk.
White
White is a simple color that doesn’t evoke strong emotions. It can feel empty, clean, and perfect. Thus, our minds usually only associate white with background noise, hence the term “white noise.” It could also be related to the sounds of someone cleaning, such as spraying cleaning supplies or scrubbing surfaces. In music, it’s often linked to classical and gospel because the songs are perceived as pure and perfect.
Black
Black is the absence of light, so people may perceive it as nothingness, causing them to picture it when surrounded by complete silence. Black is also a powerful color that could be associated with powerful sounds, such as something breaking or strong winds. Thus, it’s also associated with intense music genres, such as metal and sometimes rock.
Pink
Pink is a charming, playful, and romantic color. Calm, gentle noises, such as a breeze, rustling leaves, or soft laughter, are usually associated with pink. Fun music, such as pop and dance, is also commonly linked to pink. The term “pink noise” refers to slightly low-pitched sounds, which can also make people picture pink.
Brown
Brown is a color we see frequently in nature, particularly on trees, dirt, and animals. So, we might think of the color brown when we hear certain natural sounds, such as knocking on wood, digging in dirt, or animal calls. As with green, brown could be associated with country and folk music because those genres are often related to nature. The term “brown noise” usually refers to very low-pitched sounds or deeper versions of white noise, so many natural sounds with deep frequencies, such as thunder or heavy rainfall, could be associated with the color brown.
Gray
Like white, gray is a simple color that’s generally considered neutral and practical. So, background noises could be perceived as gray even though they’re typically called “white noise.” We might also think of the color gray if the sounds are caused by objects of that color, such as rain falling from gray storm clouds or the sound of rocks clattering on a rocky surface.
