Immersed in Color

Happiness, anger, peace, danger, fear, energy, and love can all be found in seven letters: ROYGBIV

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet

Each of these colors elicits a certain response which may be expressed consciously or subconsciously. Color can easily affect your mood and emotions. Ever feel antsy when you step into a room? Do you notice your blood pressure rise when surrounded by a particular color? Of course there can be personal reasons tied into your response to a color, but overall people have similar reactions to colors. Ancient Egyptians realized this and tried to harness the healing power of color by using chromotherapy to heal various ailments. Here are some examples of various colors that were used to enhance health:

·         Red: increase circulation

·         Orange: healing of the lungs and increase energy

·         Blue: alleviate pain

·         Indigo: treat skin ailments  

Today, most psychologists would say that color therapy has little significance or actual healing effects, but would agree that each color is able to draw out various moods, feelings, or associations. Below is a list of colors and various concepts and sensations they can elicit. 

Red:

~Attracts attention

~Creates feelings of intensity

~Can increase blood pressure

~Is associated with life and excitement

Orange:

~Related to a fresh new day

~An ostentatious and ambitious color

~Draws attention

~Is associated with energy, fun, and warmth

Yellow:

~Releases serration (a feel-good hormone)

~Can enhance concentration

~Tends to make babies cry more often and disagreements to rise

~Is associated with the sun, cheerfulness, happiness, and optimism

Green:

~Pleasant to the senses

~Also a calming color

~Traditional color of peace

~Is associated with wealth, nature, envy, harmony and masculinity

Blue:

~Majority of people’s favorite color

~Produces a calming effect

~Some shades may imply indifference

~Is associated with dependability and loyalty

Purple:

~Is uplifting

~Is a mix between a stimulating and calm color so it can cause unrest

~Can come across as fake because it is not frequently found in nature

~Is associated with prosperity, wisdom, and spirituality

Most of the time we don't even think about the affect colors can have. Knowing what is associated with each color can help you determine what type of message you want to send to your future employer, how to grab consumers’ attention so they buy your next book, or what color to paint your child’s room. The next time you go into a store or purchase a product, keep in mind how colors may shape your decision. Did the color of the yellow walls change your mood? Did you purchase the product because the red label caught your attention? I’d love to hear your stories on how you think color has influenced you!

Picture obtained from: http://nightmaremode.net/2011/07/dreaming-in-color-omnitopic-roundup-6701/