Psychological Effects of Color
By: Victor • Essay • 1,895 Words • December 4, 2008 • 2,312 Views
Essay title: Psychological Effects of Color
Color affects every moment of our lives although our color choices are mostly unconscious. Color has a great emotional impact on a person that comes out via the clothes we chose to wear, decorations to fill our homes, personality, foods we choose to eat and many more ways.
It is possible to introduce colors to different areas of daily life to give off more energy, soothing affects, stimulate appetites and sexual motivation or even give a place a clean atmosphere. I asked thirty males from the ages of fifteen to sixty what color bra they would like to see their dream girl wearing to find out what colors are the most sexually stimulating. As I predicted, out of thirty, fourteen chose black, while four chose pink, red, blue and white were also chosen by three each and gray and purple were each favored by one person a piece. I also conducted an experiment to see what colors were stimulating on appetites. I added food coloring to make one flavor of Jell-O turn red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, and pink. Out of fifteen total people, seven chose red, purple and pink were chosen by three a piece, and orange and green were chosen by one each.
Blue can either be a calming color or a depressing color, depending on how much one is surrounded by. Although, blue most always has a pleasant association. Blue also is associated with a cool, cleansed, relaxed, calm, hopeful, protected, reassuring, trusting and accepting feeling. It inspires mental control, clarity and creativity. Blue has a direct effect on the autonomic nervous system, which helps calm and soothe humans. However, subconsciously it affects us because we associate blue with the night sky, so it makes us feel calm as though we are being soothed by the night sky. On the other hand, dark blue is sedative and too much can give off a feeling of depression. Blue is also an appetite suppressant. This is believed to be that due to the fact that nature does not create a blue food other than blueberries, therefore we do not have an automatic appetite response to blue. Actually, in a decorative perspective, blue is a spacious color that is most suited for deep thought and relief from a stressful, hectic life. If you wear blue, you may feel self-reliant, sensitive or intelligent. It promotes a good imagination and a practical approach to life by feeling responsible for others. Blue wearers are normally quite independent yet feel the need to be surrounded by tenderness, love and affection. In the survey of bra color selection, the three that chose blue possibly feel the need for love and affection, therefore they chose blue.
Brown is a direct color of nature so it gives off an earth feeling that brings us comfort and support. However, fans of brown are known to often keep emotions to themselves and retreat from fear of the real world. These people sometimes suffer from a lack of self-worth. These people like brown because it helps them with their troubles and it gives them a sense of stability and alleviates insecurity. People who wear brown are normally honest, sensuous and protective because of their desire to be emotionally secure and accepted. They strive for a structured life and they appreciate the fine pleasure of life.
Orange is widely known as the attention grabber and the stimulator of the mind and body. Orange is an anti-depressant color that lifts spirits by giving off feelings of security, warmth, joy, creativity, fun, humor and independence. Like brown, orange frees and releases emotion and alleviates self-pity and self-worth and the unwillingness to forgive. Physically, orange stimulates the sex organs and has an incredibly beneficial effect on the digestive system. Wearers of orange are action-oriented, often impatient, independent and self-motivated. They have a high energy level and tend to be active and competitive. Being surrounded by orange is mentally and physically stimulating and can make a person feel warm, secure and comfortable, though very few people choose to decorate in orange.
Purple is a color of mixed messages coming from both red and blue. Purple is mostly associated with those who are sexy, powerful, and sophisticated. For the people who favor this color are typically dramatic, spiritual, creative, intuitive, inspirational in beauty and art, protective, and wrapped up in a fantasy. Purple balances the mind, brings peace and combats fear. However, fans of purple can be arrogant at times, for they have little interest in lesser people and are only interested in the best of everything. This is probably why the one person who chose a purple bra did; because he takes great interest in only the very best.
Red is the most powerful of all the colors because of its ability to stimulate the heart and blood circulation so that it raises heart rates. Red is known for its high arousal in all perspectives of the body for it is a sexy,