When we think of color in terms of home design, we frequently focus on how the colors appear rather than how they make us feel.

The study of colors as a factor in influencing behavior is known as color psychology. For his investigations into the characteristics and significance of colors in our life, Carl Jung has been recognized as one of the pioneers in this field. According to a remark from Jung, “colors are the subconscious’ native tongue.”

What makes color therapy so crucial?

In addition to these advantages, color therapy can raise consciousness and assist people in realizing the importance of incorporating particular colors into their daily lives. Additionally, it can support a body’s natural healing process, promoting general health. People’s emotions can be affected by the characteristics of colors.

The majority of people today view color therapy as a supplemental or alternative medicine treatment. 

Chromotherapy, commonly referred to as color therapy, is a type of therapy that makes use of light and color to address particular mental and physical health issues. This type of therapy dates back to the time of the ancient Egyptians. They used colored glasses and sunlit rooms for therapeutic purposes.

Chromotherapy is a form of medicine that uses wavelengths in the visible spectrum (colors we can see) to treat various illnesses. It was developed from traditional color-based therapies.

Unobvious sensations, like the flavor of food, are influenced by color. People’s emotions can be affected by the characteristics of colors.

Chromotherapy is employed in spas and wellness facilities in today’s much more advanced period. Light therapy and Aromatherapy, a brand-new and developing wellness discipline, are both used as therapies. Different colors target various body regions and provide various effects. If they wish to unwind or feel tranquil, sauna users can select blue light. If they wish to detox, they can select pink light.

Three fundamental qualities can be used to distinguish and categorize colors:

1. A color’s name is hue.
2. Value/Tone refers to the hue’s degree of lightness or darkness (how much white or black is present). High values are brighter and are referred to as tints, whilst low values are darker and are referred to as shades.
3. Color vividness (from light to intense) is measured by chroma/saturation. High chroma is more vivid than low chroma, which seems washed out. In other words, this is how saturation changes when it approaches or moves away from grayscale values.

According to color therapists, color can enter our bodies through either our skin or eyes. Each visible hue has a certain wavelength and frequency. Every distinct frequency affects people differently and serves various functions. Typically, warm hues are employed for energizing effects while cold hues are used for soothing ones.

You may either do it visually, by gazing at a given color and hoping that your body will react as you want it to, or you can do it physically by reflecting certain colors onto certain regions of your body in an effort to treat a specific condition.

Despite significant growth in popularity over the years, color therapy is still not a widely used therapy in Western medicine. It is viewed as being quite experimental by many medical professionals.

You can make your living place happier and more contented by applying color therapy to home décor. Since colors are proven to affect our mood, using them effectively in the house is crucial. Each color has a unique frequency and vibration that can help your home feel good and set the proper atmosphere.

The colors R.C.B. plotted in YCbCr color space in the program ColourSpace by Philippe Colantoni.

Colors and Vaastu go hand in hand. If you want to paint the walls purple, stick to light shades like lavender or light violet and only use this hue in the east, west, and southeast corners of the room. For a calming and comfortable night’s sleep, choose purple or violet colors in your bedroom. Pink is another fire color used in feng shui.

A Synopsis of Color Therapy’s History

It is no secret that the sun and its light source, or lack thereof, may have a significant impact on us. Some nations started experimenting with color and its therapeutic properties thousands of years ago. 

The therapeutic properties of light and color were understood by ancient societies all throughout the world, beginning with the Egyptians. 

Color therapy and healing are well recognized in Egypt, Greece, and China. Several instances include:

1. Changing the hue of space with the hopes of curing a given ailment.

using natural colors in their environment (blue from skies, green with grass, etc.)

2. Crystals were used in the healing rooms to diffuse the sunlight.
3. As far back as 2000 years ago, there is evidence of attempts to use color therapy for healing. Johann Wolfgang Goethe, who researched the physiological effects of color, wrote several books about it as it grew in popularity over the years. However, as we just discussed, a lot of people are wary of the use of color and light in treatment or healing.

What is Art Therapy?

A distinct but connected area of applied psychology is art therapy. It derives from psychoanalytic views from the 1970s, which contended that some of our feelings and experiences can only be communicated through pictures and colors.

Color therapy types

Different colors are said to be able to treat various illnesses in color therapy. According to color therapists, your physical state may be caused by a lack of a particular color. The most popular hues used in color therapy are listed here, along with suggestions for how to use each one.

Red

Red can excite or revitalize someone who may be feeling down or worn out. Red is used cautiously in color therapy, since it can potentially agitate those who are already agitated. The fire element is symbolized by the color red in Feng Shui. Red may be overpowering when used excessively in home decor.

Red can be combined with paler hues of other colors to create a harmonious effect.

Blue

Blue is a chromatherapy color used to relieve pain and sadness. Darker blue hues are thought to have sedative effects as well, making them beneficial for those who struggle with insomnia or other sleeping disorders. When trying to create a relaxing atmosphere, blues are a fantastic choice. Most rooms look best in blue, notably the kids’ room and the study. Bathrooms can also benefit from the usage of blue tones.

Furthermore, reliable research indicates that blue light during the day can enhance:

• alertness
• attentiveness, 
• Response,
• and general attitude

Blue light, however, can injure humans at night because it interferes with our circadian cycles or biological clocks. This is due to the hormone melatonin, which promotes sleep in our bodies, being suppressed by it.

Green

Aromatherapists claim that because green is the color of nature, it may calm and soothe a person. The color green can lift your spirits. Shades of green can be used in your home’s décor in a variety of ways, from walls to furnishings. Including green in your home’s decor can give it an earthy, grounded sense.

Yellow

Yellow can uplift your spirits and make you feel joyful and hopeful. Yellow is the greatest color to use in your home if you want to make it more cheerful. You can use this color for the exterior of your property. Traditional-style homes look best with this incredibly versatile color.

Use softer yellow hues in bathrooms and bedrooms to create a cozier atmosphere. If you have children at home, you can combine various yellow and white tones on pillows and wallpaper.

Orange 

Like yellow, orange may be utilized to make people feel joyful. It is also believed that the vibrant, pleasant color might increase hunger and mental activity. Orange fosters friendliness and extroversion while also inspiring creativity. Children’s play spaces, art studios, and gyms are the greatest places to use this color. Orange is a common color option for kids’ rooms since it boosts productivity and keeps kids happy and upbeat. 

Indigo 

The hue indigo has an impact on our sleep patterns, mental clarity, wisdom, self-esteem, and intuition.

Violet colour

The Crown Chakra, which is situated at the top of the head, is connected to it. Clarity, dreams, spirituality, sleep patterns, dreams, the pineal gland, and light sensitivity are all connected to it.

The warmth of the surroundings may also affect color preference. People who are overheated choose cool colors like blue and green, whereas those who are chilly frequently choose warm hues like red or yellow. Additionally, it has been discovered that introverts are more drawn to cool colors whereas extroverts choose warmer hues.

Here are some ideas to help you better see and plan your space:

• Space might appear larger or smaller depending on the color used.
• Using too much red in your home decor might lead to stress and behavioral problems.
• Blue can cause cough, colds, and other comparable illnesses when used excessively.
• Need healing and color therapy? Use various green hues.
• People with behavioral concerns should wear yellow.
• Violet is fantastic for enhancing your decision-making and creativity.

Usage Of Blue Light In Japan’s Railways to lessen suicide rates:

A scientific study that would later inspire millions of viral news stories and social media posts was published in 2013. The idea was incredible—blue lamps at train stations would deter suicides there. And researchers could even demonstrate an 84 percent decrease in suicides.

A growing number of railroad companies are installing blue-light emitting equipment at stations to deter people from attempting suicide by jumping in front of trains since it is believed that blue streetlights can help prevent suicides and street crime.

Nudge strategies are methods of behavior modification that, despite appearing minor, can have surprisingly significant effects. The hypothesis was that blue light could influence people’s moods. This idea was supported by a 2017 study that found that lying in a room filled with blue light helped persons who had undergone psychological stress return to a state of relaxation more quickly.

There are at least two examples of blue light installations from Britain throughout the world. One is at a train crossing in Scotland, and the other is at the Gatwick airport train station.

In an effort to enhance the city’s ambiance, Glasgow, Scotland, installed blue streetlights in 2000. Following that, there were considerably fewer crimes in the blue-lit zones.

In 2005, the Nara, Japan, prefectural police installed blue lamps throughout the prefecture and discovered that the frequency of crimes fell by roughly 9% in those areas.

Who Benefits from Color Therapy?

It has reportedly been shown to aid in a variety of areas, including “positively affect academic performance” and “aggressive/hostile behavior.” Additionally, it might lessen the signs of learning difficulties including dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It mentions that it might even benefit medical conditions like epilepsy, sleeplessness, migraines, and eyesight problems.

The Advantages of Color Therapy

Color therapy has been shown to provide a number of advantages over the years, from mental to physical. The following are a few advantages of color therapy:

1. Stress reduction: People who are tense or anxious may find that certain hues, such as blue and green, are calming.
2. Increase your appetite: When you struggle to feel the want to eat, warm and energizing colors may increase your appetite.
3. Reduce the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder: The shorter days and lack of sunlight during the colder months make people more susceptible to seasonal affective disorder. Warm hues like yellow and orange could lessen the symptoms of this disease.
4. It has been demonstrated that colors like red and yellow can increase your energy and motivation.

Conclusion

This therapy has been studied to treat various physical and mental health issues, including seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D.), age-related cognitive decline, depression, and hypertension, among others.

However, chromotherapy has been referred to as pseudoscience by many in the medical community who think it has a solid scientific foundation. While some colors have been proven to be healthy for people, some sources contend that the precise description of which wavelengths are healthy and how these advantages manifest themselves is not clear enough to be applied in a medical environment.