When I look at a lot of the people around me today, I notice an absence of colour. No one is wearing much colour. I see grey, black and brown, but I don't see a whole lot of colour. Particularly in North America, it's as if we're afraid to wear it. When I travel to the Carribean or Mexico, I see a vast array of colour. Bright, bold, beautiful colour. Everywhere. And then I begin to wonder. Why?
Psychologists are aware of the beneficial effects of colour on the human psyche. Colour is uplifting. It's empowering. It affects your mood and energy. You have to wonder, then, why so many of us prefer neutrals to colour. Are we depressed? Are we bored? Pessimistic?
According to psychologists, yes.
It may be the bad weather that drags on forever and keeps people down in the dumps, but whatever the reason, my personal feeling is we need a huge boost to our grumps!
Different colours can stimulate different emotions in people. Red can stimulate feelings of excitement, exhilaration and power. Orange stimulates energy, enthusiasm and youth. Yellow evokes happiness, optimism and warmth. Green facilitates serenity and renewal. Blue yields confidence and stability. Purple implies wisdom and wealth. Pink elicits romance and love.
The greys, blacks and browns I see everywhere signify dullness, darkness and oppression. Let's get some energy flowing in our wardrobes! Embellishment! Empowerment! Let's rock it!
