Additional colour effects…

Neuroscientists have also learned that:

• Lighter colours on walls make a room seem slightly larger than it actually is and darker ones slightly smaller. The same goes for light colours on ceilings and apparent ceiling height.

• Darker coloured objects are perceived to be heavier than lighter ones that are otherwise identical, so darker objects toward the bottom of any stack, etc., make it seem more stable. Things that are less saturated colours also seem lighter and also smaller than ones that are more saturated colours.

• For humans to be comfortable, the darkest colour in a room should be on the floor, the lightest one on the ceiling, and intermediate colours should be on the other walls.

• We’re apt to behave more impulsively when we see warm colours, which may have implications for where you choose to make investment decisions.

• Warm colours do make a space seem physical warmer (the air temperature higher) than when cool surface colours are most plentiful, the differences can be as much as 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Warm coloured objects are also perceived to be hotter than cooler coloured ones that are identical except for colour.

• Homes featuring warm colours are perceived to be more relaxed, private, and secure than those where cooler colours are more plentiful.

• Cool colours seem to suppress our appetites while warm colours have the opposite effect.

• Time seems to pass more slowly in warm coloured spaces than in cooler-coloured ones, so cool colours are good choices for waiting areas.

• We walk toward warm colours, so they can be used to guide people through a space.

• Seeing the colour red gives us a burst of strength, so it is a good colour to see as you life weights (but not for a skill based one, such as tennis); research has shown that for an extended activity, such as riding an exercise bicycle indoors, it is best if the colour red is not visible.
• Women (not men) feel more optimistic when they see the colour pink.

• Worldwide, people’s favourite colour is most likely to be blue and least likely to be yellow.

• Extraverts are most likely to prefer more saturated colours.

• Information on the consequences of painting front doors different colours for home sales prices is available here.

• To learn what a space will look like to someone who’s colour blind, or if you’re colour blind and want some idea what colours are present, try out apps like this one: http://colourblindpal.com.