How Bold Colours Affect the Brain

How Bold Colours Effect the Brain

ANVITI SINHA

We all see the world differently, with different perspectives and outlooks. We know that animals have different perspectives on the world too, and this is largely due to differences in the visible colour spectrum and variances between different animals. How we see, analyse, and explore the world is often impacted by how we see colour and how colour affects us and our brains.

Research shows that colours can change or have an effect on our bodily functions, mind and emotions. This is caused by the hormone released by the brain when a colour is passed from the eyes, onto the brain. Certain colours have shown benefits in the development of cognitive function, creativity, learning and productivity. These factors are affected by personal, cultural, and situational differences as well. The study of how colours affect human behaviour is called Colour Psychology.

For example, the colour blue is known for keeping your mind calm, helping to manage stress levels, lower your heart rate and can even help to reduce anxiety. Studies have shown that yellow features in a room can make you feel more active and conscious. Red also makes you feel passionate and energised, but purple can bring feelings of creativity. When combined with yellow, red can make us feel hungry...Maccas’ or Hungry Jacks’ anyone? The colour grey signifies respectability, which is often why people are most likely to wear grey suits in meetings or other important occasions. Colours even influence less obvious functions, such as how we taste food!

But how do bolder colours impact the brain in different ways to more pastel, lighter colours?

Warm colours often control or express different emotions to more cooler colours. Similarly, bold colours often stimulate different feelings to more muted colours. The effects of colour are affected by both saturation and brightness. Saturation refers to how pure a colour is, basically meaning how much of the colour is actually in it. For example, less saturated colours are more greyish. Colours with less saturation are referred to as ‘pastel’ or ‘muted’ colours. Colours with less saturation have more calming effects in the body. The effects of bolder, more saturated colours are more intense, and are therefore more stimulating and impactful to us.