The meanings that our brains give to particular colours….

Without really noticing, we are endlessly influenced by the signals society sends us. Colour forms a part of this: red for danger, black for sadness or white for purity. Do you know the hidden meanings that these colours have for us, when we encounter them in our daily lives? We bet you’ve never thought about it! Here is how your brain interprets the following 12 colours.

1/ Red

We associated red with danger, with prohibition and refusals. Blocked roads, stop signs or emergency signs are living proof of this effect. An American study also showed that monkeys, when confronted with people dressed in red, tried at all costs to avoid them (in comparison to those who were dressed in blue).

2/ Sky blue

Our brain associates sky blue with the morning sunshine, but also with vigilance and softness. Studies have showed that clear blue light stimulates creativity and increases performance. That said, blue can also promote sleep. Think of the colour of your little boy’s bedroom if you want to avoid long sleepless nights!

3/ Pink

Typically the favourite colour of little girls, pink apparently has the power to relax the muscles and reduce feelings of aggression. We would love to believe it. However, one study completed on prisoners demonstrated the efficacy of the effect: the convicts placed in cells painted pink lost some of their aggression, becoming more relaxed. This experiment was also completed with troubled children, with the same success. A good reason to swap the blue colour of your tearaway son’s bedroom for the pink of his angelic sister’s!

4/ Brown

Brown is a soft colour, reassuring and almost maternal, that our brain associates with natural well-being. This may be because it is one of the most widespread colours in nature. Brown could also be one of the rare colours we never get tired of.