Most people think of colour as how things look and something that is attractive, and often dismiss it as being cosmetic. But it has a much deeper and significant connotation. It’s the first thing we register while assessing a thing. So the colours you wear and see directly affects your mood and influences your behaviour. For instance, decorating your room with daffodils, roses etc would make you feel livelier. Scenic pictures with mountains and waterfall would instantly draw you in.
So the colours of our surroundings or place where we live in instantly affects our mood. Different colours symbolise different emotions. Like Red would evoke a feeling of confidence, danger, power etc. Green, a colour related to life, evokes a sense of peacefulness and tranquility.
When you go to a hill station or a mountainous area you tend to feel relaxed and rejuvenated, that is because of the visual contact with colour green, the colour of nature. Blue is the colour of honesty, integrity and trustworthy, while White stands for purity and cleanliness.
However, a person’s response to colour varies; it is largely subjective. If my favourite colour is blue, which is soothing and calm another person might perceive that colour as being cold and unfriendly. But it is the combination of colours that generates response.
Angela Wright, a psychologist, in her exploration of colour psychology speaks about how colour is not just a visual phenomenon but it also has a physical effect on us.
Colour and Music
Colour and music works on similar lines. Perhaps that’s why you have the sound and light show, the combination is very exciting, vibrant and uplifting. Jimi Hendrix in 1970 reflected – “I’m thinking of the days when people will be able to have this little room, a total audio-visual environment type of thing. So that you can go in there and lay back and the whole thing just blossoms with colour and sound. Like a reflection room. You can just go in and jingle out your nerves. It would be incredible if you could produce music so perfect that it would filter through you like rays, and ultimately cure.”
Read more on Colour and Music
Colour Psychology
The effect of colours on us is caused by their energy entering our bodies. The eleven basic colours have fundamental psychological properties that are universal, regardless of which particular shade, tone or tint you use. Each of them has potentially positive or negative psychological effects.
The psychological properties of the eleven basic colours are as follows:
RED
Positive: Physical courage, strength, warmth, energy, basic survival, ‘fight or flight’, stimulation, masculinity, excitement.
Negative: Defiance, aggression, visual impact, strain.
BLUE
Positive: Intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, serenity, duty, logic, coolness, reflection, calm.
Negative: Coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness.
YELLOW
Positive: Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extraversion, emotional strength, friendliness, creativity.
Negative: Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression, anxiety, suicide.
GREEN
Positive: Harmony, balance, refreshment, universal love, rest, restoration, reassurance, environmental awareness, equilibrium, peace.
Negative: Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation.
VIOLET
Positive: Spiritual awareness, containment, vision, luxury, authenticity, truth, quality.
Negative: Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority.
ORANGE
Positive: Physical comfort, food, warmth, security, sensuality, passion, abundance, fun.
Negative: Deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity.
PINK
Positive: Physical tranquillity, nurture, warmth, femininity, love, sexuality, survival of the species.
Negative: Inhibition, emotional claustrophobia, emasculation, physical weakness.
GREY
Positive: Psychological neutrality.
Negative: Lack of confidence, dampness, depression, hibernation, lack of energy.
BLACK
Positive: Sophistication, glamour, security, emotional safety, efficiency, substance.
Negative: Oppression, coldness, menace, heaviness.
WHITE
Positive: Hygiene, sterility, clarity, purity, cleanness, simplicity, sophistication, efficiency.
Negative: Sterility, coldness, barriers, unfriendliness, elitism.
BROWN
Positive: Seriousness, warmth, Nature, earthiness, reliability, support.
Negative: Lack of humour, heaviness, lack of sophistication.
Different colour evokes varied feelings and emotions.
The above properties definitely holds true for everybody, its just that we don’t realise it. Personally, the colours I wear reflect my state of mind and my mood. If I am in a pink or a bright colour, I would be in a very jovial and chirpy mood. Whereas a black outfit makes me feel gloomy and sad. Based on that you also emanate those kind of energy and vibes to people around you. So be colourful!!!
