What is a life without colours? Certainly, dull and boring. Colours bring liveliness, dimension and texture to life. It can have a direct, profound and very interesting impact on our daily lives.

 Colours can actually lift up your mood, calm your stress, make you feel romantic, heal and stimulate you in unthinkable ways. Each one of us have their favourite colours which we think suit us best or make us happy So why not use the effect of colours for our greatest good!

There is a whole realm of colour psychology that explains how colours influence our choices, our feelings, health and even buying preferences. This is the reason the world of advertising, marketing and design heavily dabbles into colours to bring out the best in their products and services. 

Scientific research has delved into it to bring out the qualities of different colours which can be harnessed for scaling up life. 

So how to make use of each colour for a specific purpose? Before figuring out more about colours, some astonishing research on effect of colours.

• The Blackfriars Bridge over river Thames in London, made of black iron when painted green, showed a decline in suicide rate up to 30%.
• Red uniforms appear to give an advantage in sports. During the 2004 Olympics, athletes competing in four different sports (Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle wrestling, boxing, and taekwondo) were randomly given either blue or red uniforms or protective gear. The red-clad athletes won in 19 of the 29 weight classes. And similar studies among soccer matches showed a similar advantage to the teams wearing red uniforms.
• People who work in green offices have higher rates of job satisfaction, and consumers have been shown to spend more time shopping in stores that are painted green, according to some studies.
• A research showed that people having hand tremors didn’t shake much in white rooms proving that the colour has a calming effect.
• In US, the prisons are painted pink to keep the prisoners calm. Dr. Alexander Schauss, from American Institute of Biosocial and Medical Research explains that, “Even if a person tries to be angry or aggressive in the presence of pink, he can’t. The heart muscles can’t race fast enough.”
• Researches show that men feel more affectionate towards women wearing red.
• Materials painted in blue appear light. this is one of the reasons why weightlifters find it easier to handle heavy weights in gyms painted blue according to research.
• Blue is said to bring down blood pressure and slow respiration and heart rate. That is why it is considered calming, relaxing and serene.

So by now you would have got a fair idea of what colours can do. All the above facts have been pulled out from the reams of research. The domain of colour psychology is huge and its findings, effect on human mind and body are profound.

A look at some of the common issues that can be dealt better with the help of appropriate colour in day to day life.

Which colour shall you wear or have around for lowering stress?

Green

Why

• Green colour relaxes the body.
• It instantly calms you down.
• It also alleviates stress.
• It brings in freshness being the colour of the nature.
• Has a soothing effect on the eyes.
• It aids concentration and reading ability.
• It also has a healing and hygienic impact that is why it is used so much in the hospitals and care centres.

So when stressed pull something green out of your wardrobe and wear it or if you can go in nature, among plants and trees and breathe in some green!

Valuable Tips

• Green is a useful colour for your study room, bedroom or living room. It can be used in painting the walls or having in the form of linen, furniture, accents or plants indoors.
• It is the colour of growth and prosperity. So it makes sense to have more green in your offices, logo and ads.
• Associated with freshness, it is a good option for giving a signal that you care for the environment.

Which is the best colour to wear for exams?

Orange

Why

• Orange stimulates mental abilities.
•  It is said to improve neural functioning of the brain by supplying more oxygen to the brain.
•  It lifts up the mood. Orange brings out excitement and enthusiasm, being a mix of red and yellow.
• Orange brings out spontaneity and a positive outlook on life.

Valuable Tips

• Wear Orange if you want to raise productivity at work. It works on your mind.
•  It’s a great colour for adventures, for trekking, binge jumping or anything that rushes the adrenaline.
•  It is a perfect choice for the gym room as it energises the mind and body.
• It stimulates food appetite so used extensively in food packaging and restaurants.

Which is the best colour for women to wear for a date?

Pink

Why

• It evokes emotions of love.
•  Pink colour is considered to be the most romantic of all the colours.
• It is the most tranquilizing colour and is associated with femininity.
•  Pink is often associated with playfulness, fun and light heartedness.

Valuable Tips

• You want to impress a romantic partner or infuse new depth in your love life, it is the colour to go for it.
• It’s perfect for the bedroom.
• It reduces anger and anxiety so used in high voltage situations to calm people.

Which colour is best suited to unleash your creativity?

Blue

Why

• Blue colour produces some calming chemicals in the brain. It is believed to have a soothing effect on human mind.
• Blue colour increases creativity. A research by the University of British Columbia has proven this.
• It is a colour that seeks peace and tranquility above everything else, promoting both physical and mental relaxation.
• It is the most popular colour on the planet. In the Yougov survey in 10 countries and 4 continents many years back found that blue trumped all other colours in being people’s favourite.
• Blue is considered dependable, trusted, stable and loyal. That is why it is most widely used on the internet and in branding.

Valuable Tips

• Want to reduce weight and eating portion, use blue colour on your plates and dining table.
• It is a non-food colour so its great for weight watchers as studies reveal that diners eating in a blue room eat 3 times less calories than in rooms painted yellow and red.
• Blue is used a lot in cooperate sector as it denotes loyalty and stability
• Avoid too much of blue as it can trigger anxiety and depression when in excess. Remember “feeling the blues”!

Which colour helps promote happiness ?

Yellow

Why

• It is the colour of the sunshine that uplifts and brightens the spirits. Ever wondered the smileys are always in yellow colour.
• It infuses cheerfulness and playfulness.
• The scientific reason is that yellow helps to release a chemical in the brain called serotonin,which leads to a happy mood.
• Studies have proven that yellow colour enhances concentration and gives the brain and nervous system a “wake-up call”.

 Too much of yellow colour can cause fatigue. Studies show that babies cry more in yellow rooms. It is the most difficult colour on the eye and people might lose temper more often in yellow rooms.

Valuable Tip

• Yellow resonates well in all communication, use of mental, analytical and teaching faculties. So it chimes well for anyone studying, focussing, recalling information and can be good for students.
• Go for foods with yellow colour for speeding up metabolism as it also represents the chakra containing our gut, the solar plexus.
• If you are in a business of communication, Yellow is a good option in choosing your colour. Yellow stands for communication on a mental level so it is appropriate for networkers, journalists, teachers, entertainers and clowns. It inspires original thinking and creative ideas.

Which colour marches ahead in stealing attention?

Red

Why

Red is the most eye-catching colour of all times.

It stimulates the adrenal gland and the neurons. It swings one into action, raising the heartbeat and breathing.

Red signifies bold statement and leadership with ambition.

It is also the colour of love. The world gets painted red on Valentine’s Day.

Red also represents danger and anger.

Valuable Tips

• Wear red if you want to stand out. Red is the colour when you want to do something beyond the ordinary.
• It attracts love for women as research has found that men feel more affectionate towards women wearing red.
• Red raises heartbeat and blood pressure so avoid it if you are the one suffering from hypertension.
•  Go for red if you are into sports, it will set the adrenaline soaring like no other colour, bringing in the firing spirit with determination.
• Don’t wear red for exams. Researchers in a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, found that red colour negatively affected performance on a test. When participants were given a red participant number (rather than green or black), they performed 20% worse on tests than their peers.

Which colour makes you look sophisticated, powerful and classy?

Black

Why

• Black exudes power and authority.
• It is timeless with great depth that makes it a favourite in the fashion industry.
• It is classic and perceived to be higher in status and quality.

Valuable Tips

• If you want to play aggressive, sport black. Studies found that hockey teams wearing black jerseys were penalized more for fouls, making black the most aggressive colour according to research.
• If you are into sales, makes sense to wear black as it is easy to convince people with weight and authority that black lends to the wearer.
• Black is most authentic and clear. Use it for making a long-lasting impression.
• It makes one look slimmer and is one of the reason why people love this colour so much.

Which colour displays richness and luxury?

Purple

Why

• It is the colour of the royalty.
• It can be a head turner in many a sense.
• It also gives a whiff of luxury and sophistication. People wearing purple colour are perceived to be wealthy.
• Purple conveys a sense of worth, value and a cut above the rest.

Valuable Tips

• If you want to give an exclusive impression choose purple. It is not on everyone’s palette.
• It develops spirituality and deep thoughts. It is an ideal colour for meditation. Purple or violet assists those who seek meaning in life and spiritual fulfillment – it expands our awareness and wisdom.
• It balances those with a spiritual bent of mind. Purple contains the energy and strength of red with the spirituality and integrity of blue. This is the union of body and soul creating a balance between our physical and spiritual energies.
• It also oozes a sense of sexuality, can be a perfect choice if you are looking to enamour someone special.

Which colour can make you win at a job interview?

There are many options. Lets figure out why these colours can tilt the scale in your favour.

The realm of colours is endless. This blog has attempted to share as much useful information from a general perspective. So go ahead and colour your life with your favourite hue and shade and do remember excess of anything is bad.

Don’t go overboard with one colour as every colour has a positive as well as negative trait too. So balance it and reap the rewards. Do let me know if making any changes in the colour scheme around you made any difference.

The idea behind this blog is to help realise the importance of colours and make the best possible use of it in your day to day life. Hope you found this useful. If you did, don’t forget to put in your feedback.

Excerpts

https://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/

https://www.cbsd.org/cms/lib/PA01916442/Centricity/Doain/1752/AOW%2030%20Effect%20of%20Different%20Colors%20on%20Human%20Mind%20and%20Body.pdf

https://www.wix.com/blog/creative/2020/01/color-psychology/