Using Colors to Change Behavior

I remember buying a paint by numbers kit which contained a canvas with an outline of a famous Picasso painting and acrylic paints. The colors I had to use were very flat, not vibrant at all. After it was finished I showed it to a few people and the responses were also very flat.

The colors you need at a given time will also shift
according to events in your life.

Now because of a little accident at the age of 10, I had been studying people’s behavior and how the mind could be affected by different input. Plus I had always been a very curious kid which was sometimes illuminating to me but a pain to others. So I decided to go over my original paint with new bright colors while still maintaining the Picasso design. I waited a few months hoping the people I originally showed the painting to could not remember what I showed them the first time.

Wow, what a different response the bright lively colors brought. The second time around, people were more energetic in describing how they liked the painting. I remember one woman who saw my first try thought it was a different painting entirely. Another said he felt energized.

In my 30s, after having experimented with colors from time to time, I used colors to help reinforce change in people’s behavior. It makes a good reinforcement tool. When I’m working with someone on a subconscious level I will suggest that in their everyday life  when they see a certain color it would reinforce something positive that they’re trying to achieve.

What’s your favorite color?
It’s a question we all have very strong opinions about because colors are powerful in many ways: for changing mood, expressing emotions, even influencing action. Colors such as yellow, green, red, orange, blue, white, and purple are colors most often used to evoke specific feelings.

People respond to different colors in different ways and these responses take place on a subconscious, emotional level. In the U.S., for example, the color black has long been associated with death, while white is believed to signify life and purity. In Asia, however, white is the traditional color of mourning. Americans generally associate trust and stability with the color blue which is probably why so many businesses use it. However, Koreans associate more with pink and other pastel colors in this regard.

One of the most recent pieces of research is from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver that assessed how a red or blue background color on computer screens affected the work of 600 students. When the background was red, students responded with greater recall and attention to detail. When it was blue, they became more creative.

According to color therapist Jill Morton of Colorcom in Honolulu, Hawaii, a possible explanation lies in the different wavelengths of the colors, causing people to perceive red objects as moving toward us and blue ones as moving away. She speculates that one reason for the finding was that students may have focused more on close detail work simply to get relief from the aggressiveness of the red background, but of course, it’s hard to know for sure.

Light, Wavelengths & Colors:
Light is an electromagnetic energy produced by the sun in different wavelengths. As the light is absorbed and reflected, we end up with different colors. Specific colors generally have different effects on the human brain. Different colors give off different wavelength frequencies and these different frequencies have different effects on physical and psychological functions and consequently different habits/behaviors.

Light has different particles called photons and microwaves. Light penetrates everything, even our bodies. Light also emits wavelengths that we cannot see (ultraviolet). These wavelengths contain radiation, which is energy. Colored light can be used directly on the body’s health and immune system, affecting the body and the emotions. It does not alter the material make up of the body, but rather the vibrational aspect, similar to homeopathy.

How Colors Generally Affect People:
BLUE:
calming, lowers blood pressure, decreases respiration; associated with peacefulness, rest and relaxation.

GREEN:
soothing, relaxing mentally and physically, helps those suffering from depression, anxiety, nervousness; harmonious and balancing.

ORANGE:
energizes, stimulates appetite and digestive system; associated with positive feelings.

PINK:
used in diet therapy as an appetite suppressant, relaxes muscles, relieves tension, soothing; associated with rejuvenation.

RED:
stimulates brain wave activity, increases heart rate, respiration and blood pressure;  associated with passion and energy.

YELLOW:
energizes, relieves depression, improves memory, stimulates appetite; associated with happiness and clarity.

WHITE:
cleansing and purity; associated with the removal of negativity.

The set of frequencies related to musical notes is an example of how colors works. If you place two properly tuned guitars in the same room and pluck the A string on one guitar, the A string on the second guitar will also ring. This is because the sound frequency of the A note traveled across the room causing the resonant frequency of the A string on the second guitar to sound.

Likewise, a person’s behavior has his own resonant frequencies. Therefore, we can “tune” our habits for optimal wellness through color therapy by exposing our subconscious to the specific color needed.

My personal development program uses combined methodology to help you achieve success. My Left-Right Brain Learning program with subconscious conditioning is enhanced as a result of my incorporation of specific and proven music and color therapies.