There’s no question that color and light can have a significant effect on how we think, feel, and sometimes behave. But can they change us physically? Absolutely. Even more surprising, we don’t even have to see those colors for them to affect us.
Let’s start with blue light. During the day, it’s great stuff. Researchers at Harvard found that blue wavelengths improve people’s attention, physical and mental reaction times, and memory. However, at night, those same blue wavelengths interrupt our sleep cycles in a big way.
Study after study has shown that red light–usually delivered with LED lights tuned to a very specific wavelength–has an amazing capacity to treat dozens of physical conditions, from low sperm count and muscle pain to heart problems and depression.
This was really interesting! I knew that having the TV on wasn’t good for you when you’re trying to sleep, but I really had no idea about the effect of colors on suicide and in prisons. Also, the use of color in the Navy is very compelling. Coming from a Navy family I will definitely have to have my dad take a look at this and I’ll have to ask him if he ever came across the uses you mentioned.
This article is very interesting and thought provoking. I am surprised at the effects light and color have on our bodies. Me personally, I always watch Netflix before I go to bed but through reading this article I might switch to reading a book as my nighttime ritual.
This is such a cool article! My mom is a water color painter and studies color theories, so I have been exposed to ideas about how color influences our daily lives my entire life. It’s great to read about the influence of color entering the medical field.