Do you know why certain colors make you feel calm, hungry, energized, or strangely loyal to a brand you have never thought twice about? This episode explores how color became one of the most powerful psychological tools in marketing, shaping your reactions long before you realize you are reacting at all. This is the real story behind why red feels urgent, why blue feels trustworthy, why green feels healthy, and why entire industries spend millions testing shades the average person cannot even tell apart. The influence did not begin with branding departments or ad executives. It began with history, symbolism, and centuries of emotional meaning long before modern marketing existed. We start with early civilizations, where color signaled identity, power, divinity, and survival. From Egyptian symbolism to Chinese hierarchy, Greek perception theories, Roman luxury, medieval iconography, and Renaissance emotion, color carried purpose long before it carried price tags. Then we move into the scientific era, where Newton turned color into measurable light, and Goethe argued that color was an emotional experience. Their work shaped every design system that still guides brands today. From there, we trace how advertisers, psychologists, and corporations transformed color into a behavioral shortcut. Tech companies rely on blues that signal safety and trust. Fast food chains use warm colors that stimulate hunger and urgency. Wellness brands use greens that imply purity whether the product earns it or not. Luxury houses use black and white to signal power, restraint, and elevated identity. Nothing is arbitrary. Every shade is chosen for effect. We also look at how stores, packaging, apps, and even notification dots use color to influence movement, appetite, choice, and impulse. These cues show up everywhere from grocery aisles to home decor aisles to the “add to cart” button on your phone. This episode is not about telling you what color to like. It is about understanding how emotion, culture, and strategy weave together to shape belief, preference, and behavior. Your instincts are wiser than any palette a company selects. Once you see the patterns, you cannot unsee them. Welcome to Lies We Bought.They sold it. We bought it. Now we are unpacking it. If this episode resonates, follow the show and leave a review. It helps new listeners discover it and supports independent storytelling.