About us
We are a team of dedicated researchers who work on the description and causality of colour-affect relationships. The public domain provides numerous ideas how colour affects us, and how we could and should use colour to our psychological benefit. When digging into the research literature, we realised that empirical evidence for most claims in colour psychology is missing.
We made it our mission to bridge this gap between public opinion and actual facts.
We are running scientific studies in several research areas that
- describe colour-affect relationship in a systematic and comprehensive manner accounting for person variables such age, gender, or culture.
- investigate causal relationships between colour and affect, looking at variables such as colour preferences, mood, emotion and personality.
A complete list of studies is available under Ongoing Projects. We report new findings under Publications and News.
We hope to inspire other researchers, as well as the general public and those working professionally with colour.
Research team
Researcher
Dr. Domicele Jonauskaite
Dr. Domicele Jonauskaite is an experimental psychologist studying cognitive and affective connotations of colour. Through rigorous research, she examine associations with colours across cultures and individuals. She is also interested in the role of colour in aesthetics and art. Domicele is driven to validate or debunk myths in colour psychology and spread empirical knowledge on psychological consequences of colour to society.
Education
UNIVERSITY OF LAUSANNE, Switzerland
PhD, Psychology, 2021
UNIVERSITY OF GENEVA, Switzerland
MSc, Neuroscience, 2017
ROYAL HOLLOWAY,
UNIVERSITY OF LONDON,
United Kingdom
BSc, Psychology, 2014
Affiliations
• Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
• Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria
Further information
Researcher
Prof. Christine Mohr
Prof. Christine Mohr is a psychologist interested in the cognitive mechanisms underlying measurable human behaviour. One research focus aims to answer in a first step whether colour impacts our cognitive and affective functions. By necessity, such causal questions require controlled studies in the laboratory. In a second step, she aims to understand whether laboratory findings translate to our everyday life. Possible applied questions are whether coloured environment influence our well-being, health, or concentration.
Education
UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH, Switzerland
PhD, Psychology and Neuroscience, 2001
UNIVERSITY OF KONSTANZ, Germany
Studies of Psychology, 1998
Affiliations
• Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Further information
Researcher
Déborah Epicoco
Déborah Epicoco is a cognitive psychologist with a background in Children and Adolescent psychology. She had an opportunity to work with children population on the affective meaning of colours after which she decided to expand her work to another sensitive population. Her current work aims to understand the relationships between colour and affect (preferences, emotions…) in the ageing population while using innovative tools to understand how colour and emotion can link. She is also curious to know if laboratory studies can be translated into everyday life.
Education
UNIVERSITY OF LAUSANNE, Switzerland
PhD, Psychology, on going
UNIVERSITY OF LAUSANNE, Switzerland
MSc, Children and Adolescent Psychology, 2019
UNIVERSITY OF LAUSANNE, Switzerland
BSc, Psychology, 2017
Affiliations
• Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Further information
Student Researchers
Claudia Busse
university of Vienna, AT
2021- ongoing: Research Assistant
Keywords: Colour, emotion, art and aesthetics, blindness, qualitative studies
Anastazja Adamczyk
university of Lausanne, CH
2024 - ongoing: Junior Researcher
Keywords: Colour, emotion, preferences, cross-modal correspondences
Nina Gierlinger
university of GRAZ, AT
university of Lausanne, CH
2022- ongoing: Research Assistant
Keywords: Colour, emotion, art and aesthetics, blindness, qualitative studies
Nizar Michaud
university of lausanne, CH
2021- ongoing: Research Assistant
Keywords: Colour, emotion, free associations, cross-modal correspondences, programming
Julie Rod
university of Lausanne, ch
2023 - ongoing: Master Student
Keywords: Colour, emotion, preferences, ageing
Klara Geiger
university of Vienna, AT
2023 - ongoing: Research Assistant
Keywords: Colour, blindness, art and aesthetics, qualitative studies
Leila Manni
university of Lausanne, ch
2023- ongoing: Research Assistant
Keywords: Colour, emotion, preferences, ageing, art and aesthetics
Sude Sarayköylü
university of Vienna, AT
university of Lausanne, CH
2023 - ongoing: Research Assistant
2023 Aug-Sept: ERASMUS+ research intern
Keywords: Colour, emotion, free associations
Alumni
Research
Dr. Nele Dael: 2011-2021
Senior Researcher
Marie-Lou Mailler: 2022-2023
Master Student
Huguette Kalukemba: 2022-2023
Master Student
Lauriane Müller: 2017-2022
Bachelor Student
Master Student
Research Assistant
Yanisha Soborun: 2016-2021
Bachelor Student
Research Assistant
Lucia Camenzind: 2016-2019
Master Student
Irina Tremea: 2016-2018
Master Student
Laetitia Chèvre: 2015-2017
Bachelor Student
Research Assistant
Betty Althaus: 2014-2016
Master Student
Research Assistant
Research
Stefan Pozar: 2022 March-August
Research Intern
Giulia Spagnulo: 2021-2023
Research Assistant
Rabia Yağmur Özduran: 2022-2023
ERASMUS+ Intern
Aline Frick: 2021-2022
Research Assistant
Alessia Garzilli: 2021 Feb-July
Research Intern
Michael Quiblier: 2017-2020
Research Assistant
Caroline Cano: 2019-2020
Research Assistant
Communication
Serge-Olivier Bredou: 2017-2019
Communication facilitator, La Maestria
Dr. Giordano Favi: 2017-2019
Communication facilitator, La Maestria