Written By: Adaley Heninger

What color folder do you use for which class? A strange and simple question until you start to think about it. Why do people tie each class to a certain color? Red, blue, green, and yellow. How do these colors impact us as people unconsciously? Though we might not understand why we choose which color folder for each class, subconsciously our body understands. While asking questions around the school to get an outlook on the statistics of what color goes where we can understand others' feelings as well. Now the question is how color and emotion tie into what color folder you use. Let’s take a look.

The top two statistics taken for red were English at 42% and Math at 38%. “I hate English with a passion,” Issac Smith (12) said.  The color red is used as an angry or loud color in color psychology. (Institute, 2022) This ties back to the idea of red being an angry, vicious color. Red is a color to catch attention. Is that why English can come off as red? English works mainly on debate and communication. Reading a book without words isn’t possible, but words force the reader to feel emotion. It forces you to pay attention. 

That could also explain why Math can be red. Most people who make their math folders red dislike the subject. It evokes anger and anxiety over the class. Red also represents danger. It makes your fight or flight kick in as well. This can explain why most red folders are used for English or Math. Both are strong subjects that require emotion and focus.

 Against that theory though, Math has consistently been red or yellow. 10 times math was chosen as yellow or red. Math is consistently a bright color, but history has been said to be yellow. The highest statistic for yellow was history at 41%. “History is yellow because ‘ye old, everyone had yellow teeth or something,” Issac Smith (12) commented, “Dental care wasn't a thing back then too.” Yellow is the color with the most double feelings. Little amounts of yellow spur joy and energy in the human mind though overusing the color can bring anxiety. (Institute, 2022) It connects the dots on why a majority of students choose yellow as their least favorite class.

What about green? 74% of students claimed that Science is green. That does make sense in and of itself, Green is commonly associated with health and growth. Think about Starbucks: the coffee shop is meant to calm the nerves and create tranquility. That’s why flower shops can feel so alive; yet, calming. Earth sciences are commonly tied to the color green, for grass or leaves, but Ryan Raevsky (12) challenges that. “Green, I associate with positivity and you have to be positive in English class.” English as green gives us a look into how Ryan views his class. He must be positive to be able to pass his class. This also helps explain his decision of blue being used for his science folder.

Blue was the color with the most controversy. Emily Rosenbaum (10) said, “It makes me think of the ocean, and when I think of the ocean I think of history.” Surprisingly most people don’t consider science or history as the color. One of these reasons is because Blue is a primary color, which is usually tied to the two main classes, English and Math. The top two statistics were math at 56% and English at 22%. Blue can invoke feelings of sincerity, imagination, and uniqueness. Ryan Raevsky changes the idea again by saying, “I think of the earth's atmosphere and I learned a lot about chemistry as well.” With that information, it becomes clear that what is learned can influence color. 

Colors can unconsciously make people feel different emotions. Wear black to a funeral, wear red on dates, or neons for parties. Colors evoke emotions. These subconscious choices that the body makes can help us understand how we feel about our classes. Angry, dejected, or anxious, each class is different, but that makes life even more interesting. What color do you associate with your classes?