How Colors Improved My Health, Boosted My Confidence And Benefits Me Daily
I didn't realize that colors played such a huge role in my life. It's no wonder I felt so much more confident when wearing red and was more productive when I re-painted my office yellow. I have been feeling so much better overall after learning about how colors affect me.
It is extremely beneficial to understand how colours can change your life. From the clothes you choose to the paint choices for the spaces in which you live and work, colors send messages about who you are as individual.
The human eye is capable of perceiving close to 10 million colours, which are detected by cone cells within the eye. Each colour has it’s own significant meaning and feeling and with this understanding they can be used in a beneficial way to optimize our everyday living experiences.
Red
Traditionally seen as the colour of fire and blood in ancient times, red is seen in today’s society as representing sex, lust, danger, anger and most significantly courage. It is the colour of physical movement and human energy. It is also the international colour for stop and in Eastern countries such as China, red is the colour of luck. It is the most used colour on flags across the world. Red is often worn for weddings in India and Japan and in Russia the word for red means beautiful. Across Europe a red light district signifies sex from the history of red lights used to identify brothels. Red captivates attention possibly due to the increased convexity it creates in the lens of the eye, giving the illusion of movement.
Wearing red clothing can increase a person’s confidence if they are naturally shy. Wearing red lipstick subconsciously invokes an aroused response in men, simulating the natural increase in blood in the face when a woman is sexually aroused. Choosing red uniforms or red surroundings in the workforce has been shown to promote leadership and increase feelings of ambition. Using red dishes when eating stimulates appetite and can therefore cause overeating. An abundance of red in your surrounding can cause irritation whereas an exclusion of the colour can create prudence. Drivers of red vehicles are more aggressive behind the wheel and thus are commonly involved in more accidents on the road. The initial sight of red can cause an increase in heart rate and blood pressure for a short period of time and should be avoided by those who suffer from stress or anxiety.
Yellow
Yellow is often associated with happiness, hope, enjoyment and creativity. It is also connected with intellect and practicality. This mentally stimulating colour, highly visible and memorable is often used to highlight. It captivates attention and is used as the colour of cabs for this reason. It is the colour of caution in the everyday world and sickness in the medical field. Yellow also represents knowledge and logic. In contrast to red, yellow is seen as the colour of cowardice and has a warming effect on people. Yellow is also viewed in association with children. In most religions across the world yellow is used to represent god. In China yellow represents adult material, in Russia it is used to signify insanity and in Mexico it signifies death. Yellow is the primary colour recognized by the human eye but also the most fatiguing and frustrating in prolonged exposure.
Yellow naturally stimulates the left side of the brain and can therefore be used to paint walls in rooms where creativity and artistic inspirations are desired. Yellow uniforms or office spaces in the workplace will promote inventiveness and communication. In contrast having yellow rooms in your house is detrimental for those suffering from anxiety but can be used to save money on energy costs due to it’s natural effect to invoke the feeling of warmth. It has been shown in multiple studies that babies cry more in yellow rooms and adults often argue an increasing amount in rooms that are painted yellow. Yellow clothing should be avoided when trying to cope with a large change in life. Yellow vehicles tend to increase erratic behaviour in drivers and cause unstable driving conditions. If you wear yellow others are more likely to be judgmental towards you. Yellow dishes can also cause overeating and should therefore be avoided.
Green
Green is the colour of growth, fertility, luck, nature and moving forward. Green was often seen in Celtic myths as the colour that brought about fecundity. It is a sacred colour to Muslims and in cultural society is often associated with balance and levelheadedness. It represents generosity, healing and emotional intelligence when caring for others. Green can also represent a lack of experience as seen in the term greenhorn in the workforce or in the expression green horse. Green is seen to represent high moral standards in the community and it is seen as a signal for observation. In China green symbolizes infidelity, in Israel it represents bad luck and in Spain indecency. More people are colourblind to green than any other colour in existence.
Having green walls in your bedroom can increase your feelings of restfulness and calm in the evenings and mornings. Green can also improve vision and cause less stress on the eyes, creating a better environment for those with predisposed visual conditions. Having a green work environment or incorporating green in your office promotes stability and endurance among employees. Wearing green gives the impression to others that you are exceptionally giving and intelligent and is therefore an optimal colour to be worn to interviews. Eating off of green dishes promotes a healthier diet and causes you to consume a greater amount of green vegetables. According to Feng Shui, the Chinese art of balance, a green room relieves distraction, agitation and disrespect. Finally an abundance of green in your wardrobe may also cause others to perceive you as envious or jealous.
Blue
This colour represents depth, wisdom, harmony, purity and health. Blue is the most popular colour across the world and is the chosen colour for corporate America. It is the opposite to red’s intensity and fire, signifying tranquility and water. In North America blue has recently come to signify depression in the medical field and sadness, evident in the phrase, feeling blue. In the Greek culture it is believed that blue wards off evil spirits. In the German culture blue signifies intoxication while in Russia it represents homosexuality. In Belgium blue is used to welcome a newborn baby girl following birth and in the Italian and Spanish cultures blue is used in relation to royal princes. Blue causes an increased refraction in the eye, creating a flattening of the lens and ultimately decreasing the apparent size of an image. The colour blue also signifies loyalty in others, cleanliness in products and spirituality in many cultures.
Wearing blue clothing in your everyday life transmits the message that you are a trustworthy, reliable and approachable individual to others. Using blue in the workplace promotes routine and organization. Having blue painted walls in your home can create an increase in emotional responses and reactions when dealing with everyday issues. Studies have shown that blue in the bedroom or bathroom can support feelings of calm which can be useful when living a stressful life. In interior design blue should be used wisely due to its ability to create the illusion that rooms or objects are smaller than they truly are. Blue also suppresses appetite and slows metabolism. This can be useful in a kitchen when you wish to limit the amount of food eaten. Finally if you are surrounded by an abundance of blue in your everyday life it may cause feelings of sadness and cautiousness, causing an overall disheartened state of mind.
They are all around us and yet many of us do not realize the significance of colours and how they can change your life. Each colour has a message whether it is subliminal or conscious. Colours define us by what we wear, how we design our living spaces, what we drive, and ultimately who we are. It is with this understanding of their deeper meaning that we can alter the way that we live.
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