Incredible that this is the only comment I see that correctly states the reason why black is associated with negativity. Darkness is danger and death because th

Incredible that this is the only comment I see that correctly states the reason why black is associated with negativity. Darkness is danger and death because the primates we evolved from faced much greater danger in the dark from predators. We evolved to fear things that are black because we receive less information about things that are dark, and similarly are less afraid of things that are white because we have more information about things that are light. Things that we have less information about have a greater potential risk of danger, just as everyone fears a dark alley more than a lit one. Remember, black is not a color; it is a shade or absence of color just as white is a maximal amount of color. As you say, these associations developed perhaps tens of millions of years ago far before European people even evolved to be white. Any other associations developed in the relatively infinitesimal time of hundreds of years are peripheral.