The color red stimulates appetite and causes. You have surely heard this and other statements, which are presented regarding the influence of different colors on the body and mind. But do these statements have any scientific data? The physiological mechanisms that underlie human color vision have been examined for many years, but only recently we discovered and began to understand different ways of color effects not only on our vision.
As the ear, giving us also the sense of balance, the eye has two functions. Light-sensitive cells – the cones of the retina in the back – send electrochemical signals directly to the brain known as visual cortex, which formed a visual image that we see. But now we know that some ganglion cells in the retina respond to light, sending signals in the Central region of the brain – the hypothalamus – which is not involved in forming visual images.
Light, but not to see
The hypothalamus is an important part of the brain responsible for the secretion of several hormones, which control different aspects of the self-regulatory body, including temperature, sleep, hunger and circadian rhythms. Exposure to light, in particular blue or green leads to the release of cortisol which stimulates and awakens us, and also inhibits the release of melatonin. Late in the evening when the blue light from the sunlight is on the wane, melatonin is released into the bloodstream, and us sleepy.
Retinal cells that form the visual way between the eye and the hypothalamus, not conducting the image selectively sensitive to short (blue and green) the colors of the visible spectrum. This means that there is a clearly established physiological mechanism by which light and color can affect mood, heart rate, anxiety and impulsivity, among other things.
For example, this visual pathway to the hypothalamus, as you see, is associated with seasonal affective disorder, the mood swings, which affects some people in darker winter months and which can be successfully treated with the morning light.
There are also data that show that exposure to bright short-wave light, a few hours before sleep can increase anxiety and affect sleep quality. Poor sleep quality is a well – known problem of modern society, which leads to increased risk factors of obesity, diabetes and heart problems. It is believed that excessive use of smartphones and tablets in the late evening can affect sleep quality, because they emit quite a lot of blue and green wavelengths, is able to inhibit the release of melatonin and prevents us to sleep.
Comprehending color
Further, in the first person – Stephen Westland, University of Leeds.
I lead a team of design experience at the University of Leeds, in a special laboratory light, able to assess the impact of light on behavior and human psychology. This lighting system is unique to Britain: it can fill the room with colored light of a specific wavelength (and not a mix of red, green and blue, as is usually the case).
A recent study showed a small effect of colored light on heart rate and blood pressure: the red light seems to accelerate the heartbeat, and blue light lowers it. The effect is small, but is supported by the work of Australian scientists from 2015.
In 2009 at the end of the platforms of the railway line the Yamanote line in Tokyo has installed blue lights to reduce suicides. And not without success: the number of suicides fell by 74% at those stations where they put the blue lights. Such colored light bulbs mounted on railway platforms Gatwick airport. These steps were taken based on allegations that blue light can make people less impulsive and more relaxed, but to validate these claims little scientific evidence. A three-year study (not yet published) Nicholas Ciccone, doctors of our group, shows the lack of firm evidence of the influence of painted colors on impulsivity. Similar studies conducted in our laboratory show the effect of color on creativity, student learning in classrooms and the quality of sleep.
Obviously, light and color can affect us in ways that go beyond normal color vision. Opening a visual way that is not associated with the formation of images, gave a new impetus to studies that explore how we react, how physiologically and psychologically, on the surrounding color. Increasing the availability and use of coloured light caused by the progress in led technology, speak in favor of the need for serious research in this area. However, people is becoming increasingly difficult to separate the data based on the legends from those obtained in the studies.
Whether color can affect the body and mind?
Ilya Hel