Thursday, October 16, 2008

Color matters

I am delighted God gifted us with the perception of colors.
Autumn ushers in glorious color and I revel in the oranges and yellows and reds of these showy leaf days. Another color thing: just last weekend I got to help paint walls in colors of "smoky topaz" and "jute brown" at one of my kids’ home. Those colors seemed to warm up the room making it feel more homey.

My fascination with color caused me to investigate - just a bit. I went the easy route of Wikipedia after a brief web search brought up lame links. So, here's a few fun 'facts' from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_psychology:

“Color consultants claim hues in the red area of color are typically viewed as "warm" while those in the blue and green range are typically viewed as "cool". Reds are also viewed as active and exciting, while the blues and greens are viewed as soothing and passive. Physiological tests have revealed similar responses. It's claimed that red hues
increase bodily tension and stimulate the autonomic nervous system, while "cool" hues release tension. Black is considered one of a kind, as it can be either evil and malevolent, yet it also stands for elitism and style. White is associated with purity whereas gray is viewed as dull or boring.

Color consultants also point to an increasing number of studies linking colors to specific responses. One study found that weight lifters have more powerful performances in blue rooms, and another study found that babies cry more frequently in yellow rooms. Another (by Dr. Alexander Schauss, Ph.D., of the American Institute for Biosocial Research, cited on Color Matters: pink) used Baker-Miller Pink ("drunk tank pink") or ("Pepto-Bismol pink") to calm prisoners.”


Blue pumps up, yellow upsets, and pink calms - color matters!

1 comment:

tory said...

I have also done a little research on colors and how emotions/psychology is attached to them. Colors are fascinating! tory