How Colors Affect Us - Research Paper Example

How colors affect us al Affiliation) Introduction and Thesis ment Color originates from light and since light is energy color is also energy. Scientists have found actual physiological reactions to this energy in human beings whenever they are exposed colors. Energy from colors is stimulating, exciting, depressing, or tranquilizing. Some colors increase appetite while others create a feeling of warmth or relaxation. It can sway our thoughts, change our actions, and initiate reactions. Chromo dynamics is the study of colors and its psychological effect on people (Hari, 2011). Despite the fact that countless number of colors surrounds us, we seem to have less knowledge about its influences. Colors have the abilities to affect human beings in many ways such as individual’s life, psychological state, and health. Effects of color in our lives. Lifestyle. one of the reasons why colors have the ability to influence people’s lifestyle is because we naturally react on multi-level of association with colors. She further explains that there exists social, culture and personal relationships with certain colors,” Colour continues to play an important role in the world today and people, corporations and institutions are using it as a powerful tool of communication. Some colors send universal messages and these colors can used for a product, web site, business card, or logo to cause powerful reactions. We cannot ignore the significance of color in our today’s world. The four psychological primary colors include red, yellow, blue, and green. They relate to the body, mind, and emotions while essentially balancing the three. Associated meaning of color. Red elevates excitement levels, and can speed up our decision making process. This is why we considered Las Vegas the city of red neon. Students subjected to red light before exams are more likely to perform dismally. Blue color demonstrates many positive attributes such as intelligence, trust, efficiency, serenity, duty, understanding, logic, calm, and reflection. Its can sometimes be interpreted as cold, aloof, unfriendliness, and lacking emotion. Yellow color is often associated with optimism, self-esteem, confidence, emotional strength, extraversion /friendliness and creativity. It can also come out negative as irrational, fearful, emotionally fragile, depressing, anxiety or suicidal.Green stimulates a general feeling of balance accompanied by positive attribute such as harmony, refreshment, universal affection, peace, restoration reassurance, environmental consciousness, equity, and tranquillity. On the other hand, it demonstrates boredom, blandness, Violet is stimulus for spiritual awareness, vision, containment, luxury, loyalty, authenticity, truthfulness and quality. On the other hand, it demonstrates introversion, oppression, decadence, and inferiority. Orange colour brings out very well the aspect of physical comfort, abundance of food, warmth, security, heightened sensuality, plenty of fun and intense passion. Pink color is the stimulus of physical tranquility and a combination of other qualities such as femininity, love, sexuality, survival, and nature of the species. Being a light shade of red, pink, like red, also affects us physically, but in a soothing rather than stimulating way. Black is the color of sophistication, oppression, glamour, coldness, security, evil, efficiency, heaviness, and substance. It is also the stimulus for emotional safety. Psychological effects of color therapy. Mood There are various ways of describing certain emotions. Such emotions include seeing red, green with envy and feeling blue. It is not doubt that mood and color are directly linked. For instance, when a person slips on the tailored LBD, and is more likely to feel sexy and chic and opens up yellow umbrella especially on a gloomy sunset and some of its sunniness will rub off against a person. There are various ways why the color can influence the feeling of a person. People tends to react on various association levels with colors. Meaning that there are cultural or social levels and personal relationships with certain colors. Additionally, individuals have innate color reaction. For instance, when a person sees a red color, they increase their heart rate. The red color is a stimulating color; this brings forth the events of alarm, danger, and fire. Yellow has always been associated with positive association. It is therefore; very easy to throw a slouchy sweater and jeans pair for something from the spring. For instance, the fun fringe booties, green mini skirt, and sweaters having evening jewelry. This will always make everyone’s impression, but also makes one to look cute. When one feel cute, definitely he is more likely to feel better. Therefore, one is able to channel various moods they want with different colors. Behavior Colour is always associated with the behaviours, mind and essentially soothes; it has a mental rather than physical effect on. Strong blues stimulates clarity of thought while lighter, soft blues help relax the mind and aid concentration. It is therefore serene and mentally calming. Companies and corporations that want to show reliability and professionalism heavily use it. It is the colour of clear communication, hence is the theme in most Information Technology companies. Unlike red, ones blue objects appear not to be as close to us. This colour brings out an element of seriousness (lack of humour), warmth, nature, earthiness (lack of sophistication), reliability and heaviness. Brown is mostly a combination of black and traces of red and yellow. Consequently, it has properties such as seriousness would black, but is warmer and softer. It possesses some red and yellow properties and is mostly associated with the earth and natural world. Although it is solid, it is a reliable colour that most people find more positively supportive than the suppressive black is. Black is in essence, an absence of light. Without any wavelengths reflected and it can, thus be considered as menacing, because many people are afraid of the dark. It however, communicates absolute clarity, communicates sophistication and uncompromising excellence and it works particularly well with white. Black creates an impression of seriousness and a perception of seriousness. The colour stimulates psychological neutrality and among its negative attributes includes lack of confidence/ energy, lack of confidence, dampness or depression, fear of exposure and hibernation. Effects of colors regarding our health. Color therapy. Practical use of color therapy. Conclusion Colour has a practical influence on people. This colour signifies hygiene, sterility, coldness, clarity, purity, cleanness, unfriendliness, efficiency, simplicity, sophistication and elitism. Unlike black, which is total absorption, white is total reflection. It in effect reflects the entire force of the spectrum onto our eyes, therefore, creating barriers, but in a completely differently way from black, which makes it strenuous to look at. It communicates, "Don’t touch me!" White demonstrates purity and, like black, uncompromising; it is clean, hygienic, and sterile (which can be negative). . It appeals to the masculine principle and can instinctively activate the "fight or flight Red also shows health, that is why most butchery is painted red. It also represents life since our blood is red. It is also stimulating, lively and quite friendly, though sometimes it is perceived as defiant and aggressive. References Bender, R. (2011, January 1). How Color Affects Our Mood. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/27/how-color-affects-our-moo_n_1114790.html Johnson, D. (2007). Color Psychology Retrieved from http://www.infoplease.com/spot/colors1.html Wolfson, E. (2014, January 29). How Color Shapes Our Lives. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/how-color-shapes-our- lives/283376/ Color Therapy Healing. (n.d). Color History Retrieved from http://www.infoplease.com/spot/colors1.html Gunnerson, T. (2009, February 5). Color Can Affect How People Think and Act. Retrieved from http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2009/02/05/color-can-affect-how-people-think-and-act Somers, D. (n.d.). 4 Fascinating Ways Color Can Affect Your Mood and Health. Retrieved from http://www.empowher.com/community/share/4-fascinating-ways-color-can-affect-your-mood-and-health Read More