When shopping, we usually go for the latest trends when it comes to colors. When painting an office or even an apartment, we normally opt for our favorite colors. But, have we ever thought of the effect of a certain color or even a specific shade on our psyche and wellbeing?
Surprisingly, there is a whole field dedicated to this topic: Color Psychology. Color psychology is the study of color as a determinant of human behavior. It explores many topics that are highly related to daily life; such as colors preferences, the relationship between the color of a classroom’s walls, and the behavior of students, etc.
With multiple shades of different colors, color psychology may be regarded as a too broad field; however, there are basic principles on which this field relies. The first principle is that color can carry a specific meaning, which can be an acquired meaning or a biologically innate one.
Moreover, color psychology explores how a person perceives a certain color and how they behave or react to their own perception. Context is also another important factor when studying color psychology; that is why it is usually taken into consideration when studying a color’s meaning and effect.
Blue Vs. Red
- Avicenna wrote once that "Color is an observable symptom of disease". He even developed a chart that related color to the temperature and physical condition of the body. He believed that red moved the blood, blue or white cooled it, whereas yellow reduced muscular pain and inflammation.
- Red may be a sign of good health as opposed to anemic paleness. According to a recent evolutionary explanation, anger is used as a stimulant for a number of people. When blood flushes due to anger, this indicates they are healthy people; conversely, those who have anemia do not show any sign of flushing blood when they get angry.
- Men tend to be “redder” than women! This is because facial redness is associated with testosterone levels in humans.
- Blue lighting was used in 2000 in certain neighborhoods in Glasgow, and it was found that crime rates decreased significantly. In Japan, blue lighting was used in railway stations to reduce the number of suicide attempts.
- In 1876, blue has been a source of inspiration for an American Civil War General named Augustus Pleasonton, who conducted his own experiments and published a book entitled, The Influence Of The Blue Ray Of The Sunlight And Of The Blue Color Of The Sky, where he stated his theories and beliefs regarding how blue can improve the growth of crops and help heal human diseases.
- Red is the only color that has an entirely separate name for its tints, such as: pink, crimson and burgundy. Tints of blue, on the other hand, are simply called baby blue, navy blue, etc.
Color Psychology & Business
Color psychology has influenced the business world to a great extent, especially marketing. You might think that this applies to big projects with mass productions where huge marketing campaigns are created and extensive research conducted, but you will be surprised when you know that some of the places or things that you are exposed to in your daily life take color psychology into consideration.
A case in point is restaurants which make use of color psychology. If you notice some of the popular restaurants in town, you will find that reds and oranges are used extensively as they are appetite stimulants. They also encourage people to spend more time in those restaurants.
Interesting Colorful Facts from the Business World
Hershey’s chocolate bars are wrapped in attractive dark brown paper as it sparks emotions of simplicity and health.
The IBM website has a very professional color scheme, which includes blue, grey and white, connoting a sense of seriousness and professionalism.
Barbie’s website is all about pinks. This is because the website mainly targets young girls who are innocent, fresh and young and pink conveys all of that.
By now, you have a proper understanding of colors, which you may have taken for granted for so long. With such knowledge, you can try to apply what you have learnt so far to your surroundings or even your appearance. Whether you will be renovating your house or office, choosing the layout of your corporate’s website or even making a change in your wardrobe, I am sure you will have a total different outlook on how things should look.
References
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interior-design-tutor.net
empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com