What we think about colors, especially what we think subconsciously about them, affects us on some very intrinsic levels. I think most will agree that humans, in general, are highly visual beings. For these and other reasons, I like to do research about colors and their effects on human behavior. Here are some of the fascinating things I’ve learned.
Table of Contents
♦ List of Colors & Their Meanings
♦ A Few Fun Historical Color Facts
♦ The Psychology of Colors Slideshow
♦ The Psychology of Color Infographic
Do you ever feel anxious or uplifted in a yellow room or does it bring cheer to you? Or, do you feel calm in a green room? Artists, graphic designers, and interior designers know that color can dramatically affect moods, feelings, and emotions so naturally, they use these tactics in their designs. However, this is an area of learning that anyone can join in to reap the benefits, so do your research and then apply it to your life and surroundings.
List of Colors & Their Meanings
There are several posts that are published on Beautiful Lives by Susan that include color as a topic or subtopic. I’ve curated them into a list which is below. This list will be updated and this post re-published periodically for your convenience.
The color blue is a soothing and brings harmonic calmness into our lives. It is also the color of the 5th Chakra, also known as the Throat Chakra.
Blue is found primarily in nature – in the light blue of the afternoon sky and in the deep variations of hue in a deep lake or the ocean.
Green is a combination of blue and yellow and is soothing yet stimulating enough to produce an emotional lift. Moreover, green is the predominant color of Mother Nature so it is associated with growth, process, and the beginning of life itself.
The green symbolic color is the first of a series of symbolic colors articles. Colors are a part of spirituality that dates before written history.
Indigo symbolic color of spirituality combines blue and violet to get its mysterious, deep hue. It represents the mind, thoughts, knowledge and intuition.
The sacral chakra is also known as the Svadhisthana which is Sanskrit for vital force or dwelling place of the self. This sacral chakra supports growth.
The purple symbolic color of spirituality is a blend of strong reds and calming blues. Almost sounds like a storm, doesn’t it?
Red brings strength wherever it’s found. People find that their ambition is greatly increased when red is present in their lives.
Yellow is the color of optimism. It is a color that conveys youthful energy. When we wear yellow, we feel uplifted and confident.
Yellow has been one of my favorite colors most of my life simply because it’s cheerful. Yellow is also the color most closely associated with the Solar Plexus Chakra or Manipura.
A Few Fun Historical Color Facts
40,000 years ago artists created the first pigments which were a mixture of dirt, animal fat, charcoal, and chalk. This created the first human palette of red, yellow, brown, black and white.
From those five colors have come a history of discovery as the human fascination with color progresses to this day. Whether through organic discovery or scientific advancement, artists continue to push forward with new pigments with each new art movement.
One grand discovery was in 1666, when the well-known English scientist Sir Isaac Newton established that pure white light passes through a prism, it separates into all of the visible colors.
Another interesting fact is that while our noses and ears are inferior to most animals, our color vision is greater than just about every other species on earth. For one reason, our brain uses 30% of its capacity to process visual input and that’s ten times as many neurons than our brains use to hear a sound!
The Psychology of Colors
Psychology of Color Infographic
It’s no small wonder that colors have a huge impact on human existence. The psychology is fascinating because it affects mood and actions of people when people view particular colors. Our intimate environment is so important to our well-being that it’s important that we continue to learn about color and how it affects us as human beings.
![Psychology of Color [Infographic]](http://nowsourcing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/psychology-of-color.png)
Courtesy of NowSourcing, Inc
