Colors and Moods - Color Psychology, Color Therapy or Chromotherapy

“There are not more than five primary colors (blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever be seen”

Life is indeed colorful, with its different strokes and beautiful shades. If variety is the spice of life, color adds to the flavor! Our association with color, perhaps began right from the cradle when we were dressed in a particular shade which was thought to suit us best!  Undoubtedly, colors come into play everyday in our lives, – at homes, workplace, shops, wardrobe, or simply the magnificent nature around us.

Description of an object is never complete without mentioning its color!  A painter or an artist may feel the flow of creative juices on seeing a palette of colors.  And what about the many watershed events that have colored history in the fight against discrimination based on (skin) color!!! 

Color has tickled the minds of energy scientists and psychologists who have delved deep into how colors can shade personalities or influence their emotions. Alternative medicine has gone a step further to draw the essence of colors into a form of therapy.

Birth of Color

Color originates from light which is a form of energy. In 1666, the famous English scientist Sir Isaac Newton found that, if we pass pure white light through a prism, it splits into seven visible colors. These rainbow colors are called Heptathlon Spectrums, and have a unique vibration and energy.

Each color is endowed with an exclusive wavelength and frequency; hence a specific property can be attributed to the color. Red is at the lower end of the spectrum and has a higher wavelength and lower frequency. Violet is at the top end of the spectrum and has a lower wavelength and higher frequency.

Red and associated colors in the color spectrum like orange and yellow are called warm colors. The blue side of the color spectrum, which includes colors blue, purple and green, are usually called cool colors.

Can color really impact ones mood? 

Energy scientists believe that colors have a unique signal which can influence the neurological system and therefore impact the psychological state. Since colors are light energy at certain wavelengths, this energy is translated into color by the photoreceptors in the retina, called cones. Colors have a direct influence on our thoughts, moods and behaviors because when the energy & color enters our bodies, it stimulates the pituitary and pineal glands to secrete certain hormones. It is said that red color stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, while white and blue color stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system.

Some critics argue that color perception is always influenced by ones cultural background as well as the environment.  The opinion is divided among psychologists, yet most of them feel that the so-called effects of color on mood are fleeting and temporary.

Nevertheless, colors are important tools in the hands of interior designers as the colors on walls can impact the size, shape and the overall appearance of the room. Room colors can have an effect in three ways- active, passive and neutral. Light colors in rooms make the room appear large and airy, while dark colors can give the room a sophisticated, warm and an intimate look. It is a common experience that some wall colors instantly perk up mood or vice versa.

Color Psychology or Chromology -  Impact of Color on Moods

Study of the psychology of color which is technically termed as chromology delves into the influence of colors on the relationship between body and mind. The research has brought to the fore several attributes of each color, its energy and vibrations that have formed the basis of the science of chromology.