Sunday, April 29, 2001		Stressbusters

How colours can influence you
By V.K. Kapoor

THE colour of your surroundings can both create and ease stress in your life, often in ways so subtle that you are influenced subliminally.

Yellow
Yellow reduces boredom.

Students seated in areas painted yellow described themselves as more alert than those seated in areas painted in nine other colours.

Black
The body may be less stimulated by black than by other colours. Using the level of oxygen in the blood as a measure of awareness or arousal, researchers in one study found that looking at a black surface lowers oxygen levels more than any other colour.

Blue
Blue elevates mood.

Students tested in a room lined with blue fabric described themselves as calmer and happier than those tested in rooms lined with red, yellow and neutral fabrics.

Brown
Brown is calming. The blood pressure levels of handicapped students were found lowest during the time they spent in a class room containing shades of brown.

Pink
Studies indicate that pink has tranquilising effects and it lowers blood pressure, pulse rate and anxiety levels.

Red
Red is arousing, stimulating colour.

In a study on risk taking, students who sat under red lights gambled more and made "riskier" bets than those who sat under blue lights.

Green
Research suggests that green increases stress. In one study, people looked at coloured lights while the electrical conductivity of their skin was measured. When exposed to green light, their skin became sweatier and its electrical resistance decreased, indicating the stress from green lights was greater than from lights of any other colour.