As an artist, my life is a love affair with color – just not all color. Humans are ruled by the unconscious and mysterious power of color. Aren’t colors some of the very first things we learn? Must be pretty important.
Where do my color preferences come from? Looking for some solid and proven scientific reasons why I am so sensitive to certain colors, I took a cursory internet stroll. Several things became apparent; such as the information on various websites all present different information. Spoiler alert. I found some interesting “facts” about color, but no real answer to my query.
I found a discussion of the origin of colors assigned to infants by gender -pink and blue. The web offered at least 10 different dates and for a assortment of reasons. Here’s the one I am going to go with from Mental Floss. In 1918, an article from a trade publication called Earnshaw’s Infants’ Department, declared that, since it was derived from red, “Pink is for the boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.”
Random color trivia:
A number of studies have shown that the color yellow can cause dizziness and nausea. For this reason, it’s often used sparingly (or very strategically) by those in advertising, and is almost never used in the interiors of airplanes.
McDonald’s, Colgate, Nintendo, Virgin, and KFC, to name only a few — use red to entice customers because red has been scientifically proven to create a feeling of urgency. It’s an emotional color.
We don’t all see the same colors, some people might be color blind or the opposite they are able to discriminate even the slightest variation between two colors that are practically the same. There are even people with synesthesia, who are actually able to hear colors.
The color white attracts reliable people who love freedom and who look at life optimistically. These people are very neat and organized in everything they do, they like new beginnings and strive for perfection. In general, white can be worn by many different personality types. It is a neutral color, which rarely repels others.
There is power in color. “From the emotions, we associate with it, to the undeniably real reaction we have to its varying forms. It is something we see, but also that we feel that we can touch taste or smell. Through our eyes, it links our souls to the outside world; though we may not understand how this happens, perhaps it is enough to recognize and celebrate, the fact that it does.” Our relationship with color affects everyone. Buying a car? Think beige foods are uninteresting?Painting your house? Dressing for a first date?
The psychology and physiology of color has been studied seriously, but it’s much too late in the day for me to absorb the details of how our eyes and brain percieve color. Not that Google is a substitute for scientific investigation. I find bright beachy colors are uplifting and cheerful. And Cream of Wheat just blah. Science be darned.