13 - The Element of Colour

We often dismiss colour as a superficial, unimportant element of our environment— unlike thinking.

Colour has an impact on our lives and may even influence the quality of our thoughts. Everyone has their favourite colours. What colour are your bedroom walls? What are the dominant colours in your bedroom? What clothing colours attract you first when you are shopping?

Colour has a definite impact on the mind, the body, energy levels, health, and your mood. Light energy stimulates some of the glands that regulate hormones. Colour preferences are often affected by past memories, experiences, and associations. To a large extent, our culture affects some of the colour choices we make. In our culture, white is used to suggest purity, but in Japan it is associated with mourning. Red is the bridal colour in both India and China.

Our eyes see the colour, but our entire body senses it because blind people often have very similar colour associations. Which colours promote thinking? Red stimulates brain development in the early years of infancy, helping the brain make connections between the two hemispheres. Yellow stimulates memory and is the colour that first gains our attention. Yellow has been reported to stimulate the left hemisphere of the brain. Brown enhances conversation. Green helps us feel accepted and welcomed (except for lime green, which is too intense). Light blue has a calming affect, and thinking-related activities are best undertaken in an atmosphere of quiet tranquillity.

The number one colour choice for clothing across the population is blue. Blue is the colour of authority, and so is black. Black demands respect for its sense of power. For example, many police uniforms are a shade of dark blue. In Canada, both judge and lawyers wear long, flowing black robes when they are in court. A common colour dominating fast-food restaurants is orange because it stimulates the appetite. How many fast food outlets can you think of with bright orange as a dominant colour?

Pink has some interesting effects on the body. A colour called bubble gum pink has been used effectively in hospitals, drug centres, and prisons to calm people. It has been reported that when left in a pink room for a long time, people get drowsy and may even fall asleep. Pink is the beauty colour and has the effect of making foods taste sweeter to us.

Think about the power of colour in some of the decisions you make. It is not simply a secondary factor; it may have more significance than you realize.

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