Aesthetics is not only one delivered but also specific information is carried with color (J. Elliot and A. Maier 251). People perceive the world according to their mood which is affected by colors. It is also observed that colors have been influential in human life from the very beginning. In ancient cultures, people tried to use the power of the color in order to give a solid shape to their lives. Some psychologists view color psychology with skepticism and point out that the supposed effects of color have been exaggerated. Others believed that it is a valuable subject. I agree to second thought because colors have great impression on one’s sensations, preferences and physical health.
The history of color begins with the history of human life because people give meanings to their environment. Without our contribution there would not be such a history. In the time of Aristotle, people believe that all color came from the mixture of white and black. This misconception continued until the emergence of Sir Isaac Newton’s investigations. In 1666, he conducted an experiment with light and prism and explored that light could be broken into a various types of colors. People call it “the visible spectrum” ( V.Meola). The visible spectrum includes seven hues- orange, green, red, yellow, violet, indigo and blue. These colors are also separated from each other according to their types. There three two types of colors called “warm”, “cool” and “neutral”. This differentiation was made due to the difference in their wave length and vibration. Besides their type, each color has a particular meaning and connotations. These are also related to culture which differs from region to region. Moreover, certain color reactions are quite universal.
The first essential reason of why color psychology is valuable subject is color’s great influence on our sensations. At that point, people consider and think about such an important question, “Does color truly have an affect on our emotions?”. The answer of this question is
still discussed but the general contention is in positive way. Everyone has an individual set of responses to particular colors which can be associated with his culture, childhood experiences, religious views or something else. Color psychology is not an exact science and very subjective thing but we can still make generalizations according to credible investigations and surveys. There are three types of color as it is mentioned in the previous paragraph. Two of them are warm and cool colors. The warm colors are yellow, orange and red. Warm colors are bold and energetic. These colors are considered masculine colors. For instance, red color symbolizes power, excitement, and romanticism. Moreover, it symbolizes the meaning of love, passion and sexual readiness (J.Elliot and A.Maier 253). Orange signifies happiness and adventurousness. Yellow is joyful and optimistic. On the other hand, green, blue and violet are considered cool colors which are regarded as feminine ( Mawhinney). Green symbolizes nature, accordance and welfare; blue, composure and entirety; and violet is the symbol of royalty, wealth and sophistication. The neutral colors are white and black. These colors are also known as achromatic colors. Black is the color of authority and power. It is also stylish and timeless. White represents innocence and purity. People use and characterize these colors according to their emotions. The article “Psyched on Colour” written by Janice Mawhinney, a well-know journalist, says that “Some people tend to match their colors to their personalities: warm, bright colors for extroverts and cool, conservative colors for introverts”. Furthermore, if someone works in a gray or beige room he\she probably looses his\her productivity because these colors have a depressing effect on many people. We can not ignore such an important result which verifies color’s definite affect on our emotions and our understanding of the world.
The second fundamental subject is the impact of color psychology on our preferences. People try to make their best choices so as to feel themselves good and comfortable. The article “The Psychology of Color” written by Kalyan V. Meola, an educational specialist, claims that color psychology obviously affects our preferences and gives conspicuous examples. She claims that, colors even influence the evaluation of food and drink.
For example, Red colored fruit is thought as a sweet fruit by many observers. People unconsciously make connection with red and sweetness. Moreover, when we see green food we expect that the food is unripe. Moreover, our likes and dislikes are strongly related with some certain colors. For instance, some people have aversion to a certain colors because it may remind their bad memories. So these people do not want to see these colors around them
and they make their preferences according to that issue. They pay close attention not to use tools which contain such colors or decorate their houses with their unlikable colors. Many people tend to use their most comfortable colors when they needed because these colors make them feel good.
The third important issue is color psychology is a substantial subject. It clearly affects a person’s physical health. At first sight, people are in difficulty of apprehending this relationship. From the ancient cultures people have been using color for healing diseases and physical disorders. For example, Hippocrates, is referred to “Father of Medicine”, used colored light as one of his healing tools. Today, modern medical scientists also use developing color therapy. If a baby is born with jaundice he\she is placed under blue light in order to help him\her heal. Colored lights are also used in cases of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and in some migraine therapeutics (Mawhinney). Doctors also use gamma rays and x-rays to make psychological and therapeutic effects on the body. In addition to this, certain colors have some mentionable impacts on physical health. For instance, red light has an exciting effect on the nervous system. On the other hand, pure blue light has the opposite effect. It lowers the respiration, heart rate and blood pressure (V.Meola).
To sum up, sensations, preferences and physical health is directly proportional with the environmental color exposed. The importance of color is often underestimated therefore serious mistakes had been made that affected us visually and mentally. Every color has certain significance that manipulates our state of spirit. It has also been found that color influences the daily life and personal behavior. Each color had a special importance and all colors in equilibrium guarantee a balanced normal life.
