The Psychological Effects of Colour

While perceptions of color are somewhat subjective, there are some colour effects that have universal meaning. Colours in the red area of the color spectrum are known as warm colors and include red, orange and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility. Colors on the blue side of the spectrum are known as cool colors and include blue, purple and green. These colors are often described as calm, but can also call to mind feelings of sadness or indifference.

Colour Psychology as Therapy

Several ancient cultures, including the Egyptians and Chinese, practiced chromotherapy, or the use of colours to heal. Chromotherapy is sometimes referred to as light therapy or colourology and is still used today as a holistic or alternative treatment.

In this treatment:

• Red was used to stimulate the body and mind and to increase circulation.

• Yellow was thought to stimulate the nerves and purify the body.

• Orange was used to heal the lungs and to increase energy levels.

• Blue was believed to soothe illnesses and treat pain.

• Indigo shades were thought to alleviate skin problems.

 

Additional Research Is Still Needed

Interest in the subject of color psychology is growing, but there remain a number of unanswered questions. How do color associations develop? How powerful is the influence of these associations on real-world behavior? Can color be used to increase worker productivity or workplace safety? What colors have an impact on consumer behavior? Do certain personality types prefer certain colors? As researchers continue to explore such questions, we may soon learn more about the impact that color has on human psychology.

Zena O'Connor, a faculty member in the Department of Architecture, Design, and Planning at the University of Sydney, suggests that people should be wary of many of the claims they see about the psychology of color. "Many of these claims lack substantiation in terms of empirical support, exhibit fundamental flaws (such as causal oversimplification and subjective validation), and may include factoids presented as facts," O'Connor explains. "In addition, such claims often refer to outdated research without referring to current research findings."

So what's the bottom line? Experts have found that while color can have an influence on how we feel and act, these effects are subject to personal, cultural, and situational factors. More scientific research is needed to gain a better understanding of color psychology.

 

Vocabulary

1. to feel anxious – тревожиться

2. relaxed – расслабленный

3. interior designer – художник-декоратор; дизайнер по интерьерам

4. to affect – влиять

5. certain – отдельный, определенный

6. increased – повышенный, увеличенный

7. blood pressure – кровяное давление

8. metabolism – обмен веществ

9. eyestrain – зрительное напряжение

10. prevalence – распространение

11. rigor – зд. строгость

12. evidence – признак

13. emerging – формирующийся

14. rooted – зд. основанный

15. mourning – траур, скорбь

16. evoke – вызывать

17. colourology – цветовая терапия

18. holistic – зд. комплексный

19. lungs – лёгкие

20. soothe – смягчать

21. alleviate – смягчать

22. flaws – упущения

23. oversimplification – чрезмерное упрощение

24. validation – подтверждение

25. bottom line – зд. суть

 

1.2.2 Блок формирования компетенций (практические задания)

Match the terms and their definitions. Соедините термины и их определения.

Eyestrain	to make something less sore or painful
Relaxed	a tired or strained condition of the eye muscles, caused as by too much use of the eyes, uncorrected visual defects, or reading in dim light …
Mourning	a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon dioxide from and bring oxygen to the blood
Lungs	the act of sorrowing or expressing grief; lamentation; sorrow
Soothe	feeling calm, comfortable, and not worried or annoyed

 

Match the words from the text and their synonyms. Подберите к данным словам синонимы.

• soothe
• relaxed
• prevalence
• mourning
• affect
• certain
• alleviate
• nfluence
• frequency, spreading
• sorrow
• definite
• calm