Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

How colour affects your life

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Can you imagine your life without colours?


Or do this. Imagine if everything around you is in black and white. Do you think you’d enjoy life as much as you do now?


Why is it that we associate red with anger, blue with something calm, white with purity? And the colours that are associated with our flag, what do they mean? Do they stand for anything?


Colours are important for all living being on Earth. Studies have shown that they influence our mood, behaviors and even affect our thinking.


A good example of how colours affect our behavior was best demonstrated in an experiment carried out in Blackfriars Bridge in London. In the past, this bridge was the go-to bridge of people who commits suicide. They climb to the top of the bridge and then eventually jump to their death. Alarmed by its growing reputation, authorities tried repainting the bridge. As a test, they painted it with the green — the colour of nature and positivity. Because of its reflective nature, the authorities noted an improvement in suicide cases involving the bridge.


All the products that goes into the market today goes through expensive colour studies. A brand is best identified with the help of colours. For instance, it’s hard to find Apple products that are purple or orange. The reason for this is because their marketing strategy involves a certain palette of colours that they play around with.


Studies have shown that approximately 80% of customers depend mainly in colours to choose a product.


If you also haven’t notice by now, most of the Pan-Arab flags play with four colours — black, white, green and red. We all know well that Oman flag ticks off three of this colours. Each of these colours actually represent something, sometimes an idea, sometimes an inspiration but all reflecting what a country stands for.


So what are the globally recognised meaning of colours and what is the psychology behind it? Here are four top colour meanings and if you are interested to know more, we’d let you research the rest.

Red — Associated with passion, red usually attracts the most attention and is associated with strong emotions. Do you wonder why traffic lights uses red for stop? It is because red is stimulating and vibrant and also signifies danger.


Black — Associated with something mysterious, this colour signifies a barrier and absence of light. When worn as clothing, it gives an aura of formality and sophistication but also of secrecy and evil. Although black is often associated with negative things, the positive aspect of is its association with power and control. Because of black, you are able to appreciate the contrast other colours give.


Green — The first thing that comes to mind is always nature which is why it is also associated with growth and health. People view green as refreshing and peaceful evoking the sense of abundance or plenty. On the negative aspect, it is associated with materialism and possessiveness.


Yellow — If one wants to appear young and optimistic, then sunshine yellow is the best way to go as this colour is associated with uplifting, illuminating and confidence. Also another colour that grabs attention, it can help for humans to clearly think and make decisions easily. On the negative, it is associated with cowardice and malice which is why we have what we call ‘yellow journalism” today which means nothing good at all.


RUQAYA AL KINDI


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