The Universal Color of Love: Exploring the Power and Meaning of Pink

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When the passion and highly energized aggressiveness of red is diluted with the purity and innocence of white, the resulting pink becomes the color of tender love and romance. It also represents friendship, particularly among women and girls. Although other countries may have additional and different meanings, generally speaking, pink is known as the universal color of love. The softening of powerful red with the fullness of white has a way of neutralizing disorder and dissipating violence. For this reason, some prisons deliberately paint their holding rooms a gentle shade of pink. Studies have shown that this color tends to have a calming effect on riled emotions and promotes relaxation and contentment. Some research has suggested that, in large quantities, pink may actually cause physical weakness or loss of touch with reality. This psychology explains the occasional re-painting of a visiting team's locker rooms in a soft shade of pink. Male weight-lifters do seem to be weakened in a pink environment; however, women weight-lifters say they feel energized by those same pink walls.

In the United States, pink has always been associated with the feminine gender. It is perceived as the sweeter, less violent side of red. In fact, the playful side of this color is seen in American traditions such as pink flamingoes, bubble gum and cotton candy. Sugary pastries are more popular when packaged in pink boxes or decorated with pink icing. On a more serious note, a recognizable pink ribbon is also the internationally known symbol of the fight against breast cancer and the hope of a cure. Each year, on Mother's Day, Major League Baseball teams use pink baseball bats to show their support. Delta Air Lines has painted one of its Boeing 767-400ER aircraft pink for the same reason.

Several well known companies have chosen pink as their brand color. Mary Kay Cosmetics bought its first pink Cadillac in 1968. Victoria's Secret, a women's lingerie store, uses both soft pink and shocking pink in its displays. Owens Corning Insulation is pink, as is the T-Mobile "Magenta T." Even Pepto-Bismol, with its characteristic pink coloring, is clearly identifiable on the store shelf.

In the entertainment industry, Pink Floyd is a rock band from the United Kingdom, and in the United States, Pink is the stage name for punk singer/songwriter Alecia Moore. Aerosmith recorded "Pink," and Bruce Springsteen produced the humorous "Pink Cadillac" rockabilly song. It was Henry Mancini who created the famous "Pink Panther" theme. You can order a "Pink Lady," an alcoholic drink that contains gin and grenadine syrup; or you can buy a pink grapefruit, which is loaded with Vitamin A. The first might have you seeing "pink elephants," drug-induced hallucinations. The latter will just improve your health.

Interior designers love pink, especially for bathrooms and little girls' bedrooms. Mix it with some black for a more elegant look, with orange for fiery energy or with green for an active and vibrant feeling. Feng shui placement is in the southwest area of space where earth is the dominant element and love and marriage exist.

If you are "in the pink," you are considered healthy. If you are "tickled pink," you are happy and content. Until it became a derogatory expression, a "pink collar" job was one designated for women only. If your boss hands you a "pink slip," you have just been fired. If you proudly display a pink triangle you are probably gay, lesbian or bisexual. Roman Catholics value pink as the color of joy and happiness. If you are Japanese, you probably associate pink with masculine tendencies, blossoming cherry trees and Samurai warriors. In Thailand, anyone can wear pink on Tuesdays. Whatever your situation, pink is an optimistic, encouraging and romantic color, and one that may deserve some room in your own home and lifestyle.