Red, white and blue. They are definitely the "hot" colors of summer 2014. With World Cup soccer fever spreading, U.S. fans are turning up the volume on America's favorite hues, donning painted faces, star-spangled bandanas, flag tank tops and Uncle Sam hats. Let's face it: Our patriotic colors just make us happy. But color has always had an effect on our moods, according to Leatrice Eiseman, director of the Pantone Color Institute and author of "The Color Answer Book."

"Every color has a meaning that we have either learned by association or inherently sense that enables us to recognize the color message," she says. "For example, red is imbued in the human psyche as a call to action — an instinctively primal reaction, as it is the color of blood and fire, two very important elements for human existence. They are at the same time life-threatening yet life-sustaining." Hmmm ... kind of like those screaming soccer fans, right?

If you like to wear red — and not just to a bar to watch the U.S. soccer team or a Fourth of July picnic but as a part of your everyday wardrobe — that reveals a lot about your personality, says Eiseman.

"The key words associated with red are winner, achiever, intense, impulsive, active, competitive, daring, aggressive and passionate," says the color expert. "Red people are exciting, animated, optimistic, emotional and extroverted. Red's bright intensity doesn't meekly ask for a glance; it commands attention, and that is precisely why lovers of this high voltage hue love to wear it."

But she also admits that if you really like to surround yourself with red on your walls and in your closet, you may be a little opinionated. "You have a tendency to listen to what others tell you and then do whatever you please," she says. "Patience is not one of your virtues." But she adds, "The world would be a dull place without red people."

Blue on the other hand may be one of our most favorite colors, according to Eiseman. "The color of tranquility and peace, blue tends to be the most preferred color universally."

There is a range of blues that most of us love to wear, from our denim favorites to the cobalt blues popping up on this year's designer runways. Then there are the more "official" dress blues worn by military and law enforcement personnel.

White, the "non-color" color, rounds out our patriotic trio. White shorts and jeans are a staple of many summer wardrobes. But does white really go with everything? "There's no one definitive white that works with everything," says Eiseman. "Pure whites, as they are so clean and pristine, often have a bluish undertone, rendering them very cool-looking and appropriate to wear with clean, light, bright, mid- or deep-cool colors. The warmer whites that lean more to cream work best with warm colors, again in light, mid, bright or deep warm tones."

And, of course, the old fashion "rule" that white can only be worn between Memorial Day and Labor Day has long been tossed aside. Wearing white head-to-toe is now a trendy fashion "do" and a year-round phenomenon.

So rev up your spirits and put some patriotic color in your life this summer. The world would definitely be a duller place without red, white and blue people.

To find out more about Sharon Mosley, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.