Wednesday, 23 December 2015

The Emotional Effects of Colors in our lives


Color truly has an impact on our lives, and often in unconscious and mysterious ways. Colors can create conditions that can
  • cause fatigue
  • increase stress
  • decrease visual perception
  • damage eyesight damage eyesight
  • increase possible worker errors
  • negatively affect orientation and safety

A color circle, based on red, yellow and blue, is traditional in the field of art. Sir Isaac Newton developed the first circular diagram of colors in 1666. In visual experiences, color harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it's either boring or chaotic.

Colors act upon the body as well as the mind. Red has been shown to stimulate the senses and raise the blood pressure. Where as Blue has the opposite effect and calms the mind. It seems People will gamble more and make riskier bets when seated under a red light as opposed to a blue light.

While painting, using warm colors for foreground and cool colors for background colors for background enhances the perception of depth.Use of color as a therapy has a long history– ancient Egyptians and Greeks built healing temples of light and color – use of color became deeply embedded in Chinese and Indian medicine.

Actual physiological changes take place in human beings when they are exposed to certain colors.Colors can – stimulate, excite, depress, tranquilize, increase appetite and create a feeling of warmth or coolness.
An executive for a paint company received complaints from workers in a blue office that the office was too cold. When the offices were painted a warm peach, the sweaters came off even though the temperature had not changed.

Each color has many aspects to it, but we can easily learn the language of color by understanding a few simple concepts which relate to the body, mind, and emotions. What have scientists learned about how our thoughts and behaviors are influenced by the colors we see? What does the color we choose say about us?

Red: Physical
Positive: Physical courage, strength, warmth, energy, basic survival, 'fight or flight', stimulation, masculinity, excitement.
Negative: Defiance, aggression, visual impact, strain.

Blue: Intellectual.
Positive: Intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, serenity, duty, logic, coolness, reflection, calm.
Negative: Coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness.

Yellow: Emotional
Positive: Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extraversion, emotional strength, friendliness, creativity.
Negative: Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression, anxiety, suicide.

Green: Balance
Positive: Harmony, balance, refreshment, universal love, rest, restoration, reassurance, environmental awareness, equilibrium, peace.
Negative: Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation.

Violet: Spiritual
Positive: Spiritual awareness, containment, vision, luxury, authenticity, truth, quality.
Negative: Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority.

Orange: stimulating
Positive: Physical comfort, food, warmth, security, sensuality, passion, abundance, fun.
Negative: Deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity.

Pink: soothes
Positive: Physical tranquility, nurture, warmth, femininity, love, sexuality, survival of the species.
Negative: Inhibition, emotional claustrophobia, emasculation, physical weakness.

Grey: suppressive
Positive: Psychological neutrality.
Negative: Lack of confidence, dampness, depression, hibernation, lack of energy.

Black: absorption
Positive: Sophistication, glamour, security, emotional safety, efficiency, substance.
Negative: Oppression, coldness, menace, heaviness.

White: reflection
Positive: Hygiene, sterility, clarity, purity, cleanness, simplicity, sophistication, efficiency.
Negative: Sterility, coldness, barriers, unfriendliness, elitism.

Brown: Supportive
Positive: Seriousness, warmth, Nature, earthiness, reliability, support.
Negative: Lack of humor, heaviness, lack of sophistication.

Indigo: intuition and perception and the higher mind.
Positive: Powerful and dignified, integrity and deep sincerity.
Negative: intolerant and prejudiced, fanaticism and addiction.

Turquoise: emotional balance and stability.
Positive: peace, calm and tranquility.
Negative: boastful and narcissistic.

Silver: fluid, emotional, sensitive and mysterious. It is soothing, calming and purifying.
Positive: inspires intuition, clairvoyance and mental telepathy.
Negative: indecisive and non-committal, dull and lifeless, neutral, cold and insincere, deceptive and two-faced.

Gold: success, achievement and triumph.
Positive: abundance and prosperity, luxury and quality, prestige and sophistication, value and elegance.
Negative: egotistical, self-righteous and opportunistic.

Though this guide to the special “powers” of particular colors make our mind pop, we have to use color and not opt out and live in a under- stimulating beige world.