“What’s your favorite color?”
How do we as individuals, determine which colors make us happy?
Long before we are even born, color seems to play an important part in how our family prepares for our arrival. For generations, if you were expecting a boy, people tend to lean toward blue items, and after the arrival of a baby girl, the world can’t seem to have enough pink in it. Why are these stereotypical shades on the color wheel automatically assigned to babies of different genders?
Unfortunately, it does not stop there, as growing children and even into adulthood, certain colors appear to be taboo for the male gender. Women, on the other hand, have no such boundaries, and all manner of color combinations can be seen in every aspect of our wardrobe and across the board in the choices we make for our decorating schemes.
When I think back to my own color choices as a child, I tended to gravitate towards all the various shades of blue. Later in life, I find myself drawn to greens in a variety of hues, and it recently dawned on me, that these two colors are the most prominent ones that we see in our everyday life. Nature provides us with green forests, blue skies, green meadows, and blue-green oceans across the world. All of my life I’ve found beauty in the art of nature, so it only stands to reason that those two colors are forever at the top of my favorites list.
Let's look at just a few of the interesting statistics I found when researching how color affects a person’s temperament, and how we associate certain colors with our various moods.
Red: (think passion) stimulates, arouses, heightens awareness.
Blue: (think water; the ocean) relaxes, calms, transfixes.
Yellow: (think sun) recharges, energizes, revitalizes.
Green: stabilizes, balances.
Orange: cheers, orders.
Purple: protects, comforts.
Interestingly, I follow the majority when it comes to my choice of favorites.
The Color Psychology of Green
· Green is a cool color that symbolizes nature and the natural world.
· Green also represents tranquility, good luck, health, and jealousy.
· Researchers have also found that green can improve reading ability. Some students may find that laying a transparent sheet of green paper over reading material increases reading speed and comprehension.
· Green has long been a symbol of fertility and was once the preferred color choice for wedding gowns in the 15th-century. Even today, green M & M's (an American chocolate candy) are said to send a sexual message.
· Green is often used in decorating for its calming effect. For example, guests waiting to appear on television programs often wait in a “green room” to relax.
· Green is thought to relieve stress and help heal. Those who have a green work environment experience fewer stomachaches.
· Consider how green is used in language: green thumb, green with envy, greenhorn.
The Color Psychology of Blue
· Blue is described as a favorite color by many people and is the color most preferred by men.
· Blue calls to mind feelings of calmness or serenity. It is often described as peaceful, tranquil, secure, and orderly.
· Blue can also create feelings of sadness or aloofness.
· Blue is often used to decorate offices because research has shown that people are more productive in blue rooms.
· Blue is one of the most popular colors, but it is one of the least appetizing. Some weight loss plans even recommend eating your food off of a blue plate. Blue rarely occurs naturally in food aside from blueberries and some plums. Also, humans are geared to avoid foods that are poisonous and blue coloring in food is often a sign of spoilage or poison.
· Blue can also lower the pulse rate and body temperature.
· Consider how blue is used in language: blue moon, blue Monday, blue blood, the blues, and blue ribbon.
By Kendra Cherry, About.com Guide
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Where the blue meets the green in my world...we live at the red star
Today, when a very large portion of the entire country is covered in white, I'm reminded of many a New England winter spent missing all my favorite colors. The sky seems to be perpetually gray, what grass that is still visible is straw colored and the oceans, which reflect the color above, are completely dark and dreary. This may very well be one of the premier reasons that, for the last 10 years, we’ve chosen to live in the southern most part of the country.
This afternoon, some colorful flowers by a tree at home...guess the cool temps this morning didn't slow down these hardy plants.
Although here in the sunshine state, we've been experiencing a winter of record breaking low temperatures for 2010, I’m very pleased to report that the grass is still green, our skies are a beautiful pale blue and the ocean and waterways mirroring our peaceful sky, are a calm shade of blue-green.
Even on this cool and chilly day in South Florida, as the sun sets in the west, I continue to be soothed by the colors in my world.
Enjoying a clear, sunny, breezy day in the 70's, walking with my friend in downtown West Palm Beach on Thursday...I love to be where the blue meets the blue!
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