Colour has a major role in our day-to-day life. Colours influence our mood and perception in life. They are an inevitable and important aspect of our lives. We buy clothes based on our colour liking, but the psychology behind it often goes unnoticed. Colour is the first thing that we notice, whenever consuming something. The concept of colour psychology plays a big role in the fashion design field. Now, you might be thinking what is colour psychology?
Colour psychology is the influence of colours on the functioning of a person. It is a study of colours and their shades, to know more about our human behaviour. We get influenced by many things like perception, placebo, moods, nature etc. It is believed that our ancestors also used colour psychology as a therapy. It isn't a modern-day concept but, Egyptians, as well as Chinese people, practised Chromotherapy. This therapy included colour psychology, through which they used to heal people from their ailments.
Colours have their own significance and meaning, and this is used in the design field to provoke a certain emotion. For example, red indicates bold and fierce, blue indicates calmness and loyalty and so on. Some colours are also associated with the calendar seasons. In the fall season, we tend towards shades of brown and orange, while in the winters we tend towards bright fun colours. The four primary colours- red, blue, yellow and green, is related to our mind, body and emotions. Let us see a few colours and how it affects our cognitive behaviour.
Red colour indicates physical strength, warmth, energy, excitement and stability. In spirituality, it is the colour of the root chakra, the chakra that controls our existence and deep rooted knowledge. It is a dominant colour and is often related to defence, aggression and strain. Red should be preferred when you want to show power and warmth at the same time.
Blue colour indicates intellect, communication, trust, logic, loyalty, calm and serenity. It is the colour of the throat chakra, the chakra that rules communication and our truth. It is also associated with coldness, aloofness, and unfriendliness. Blue colour calms the mind unlike red colour, which excites the mind. Blue can be worn for professional endeavours as it represents confidence and reliability.
The yellow colour indicates optimism, creativity, self-esteem, extraversion and emotional strength. It is the colour of the Solar Plexus chakra, the chakra that rules the self, and the identity of the person. It is also associated with irrationality, fear, depression and suicide. The yellow colour has a long and emotionally stimulating wavelength to it. Yellow is considered to be the most active colour, psychologically.
Violet indicates spiritual awareness, containment, vision, luxury, truth and quality. It is the colour of the Third Eye chakra, the chakra that rules intuition and higher perspective. It also indicates introversion, suppression and inferiority. It is considered that the people who wear purple are creative, insightful, and have an artistic approach. They are often mysterious and dreamy.
The Grey colour depicts a lack of confidence, hibernation and depression. Grey is the only colour that has no direct psychological effects. The absence of colour makes it a depressing sight to see. It is a symbol of tranquillity, maturity and neutrality. It is difficult to define the characteristics of a person wearing a grey colour.
The most loved colour, black depicts sophistication, glamour, efficiency and security. It also indicates oppression, menace and heaviness. Black is an absorption of all colours and doesnt depict a single characteristic of its own. Black creates an impression of importance and power. It makes the person to be taken seriously and respectfully.
The effects of colours on our minds are more than we can ever imagine. So, the next time you choose a dress for yourself, make sure to know what you are looking to represent and then choose the colour. Choose the colours that you want in your life and, don't let the colours choose you instead.
Colour psychology is the influence of colours on the functioning of a person. It is a study of colours and their shades, to know more about our human behaviour.
