People’s aesthetic response to color varies. Every person has his favorite color and this often corresponds to his personality and personal preferences. Colors also have an influence on a person's mood and behavior. The brain converts images through visual perception into impulses that it can understand – and with the perception and recognition of color is a much deeper response to it. Chromotherapy or color therapy is an alternative healing method used by alternative health practitioners. It is classified as a vibrational treatment modality that incorporates the application of different energies that helps stimulates living organisms.

The colors we see are forms of visible light with specific healing properties. Therapists who specialize in the application of color in treating illnesses like depression uses color tools and visualization methods to stimulate  a physical, spiritual, mental and emotional balance. Color is virtually everywhere. Studies have shown that a person's exposure to certain colors have an impact to his mood and behavior. Although this premise on a scientific point of view is lacking in evidence, studies suggest that colors can affect people's behavior, mood and even cognitive skills.

Studies suggest that color can affect your mood. But what isn't clear is which colors make you feel what. The science of color psychology was established in the 1970’s. Color was being strategically used for advertisements, and government and private campaigns to promote a specific goal. It was suggested that jails be painted pink to relieve violence and make prisoners feel more relaxed. Fast food chains were also being decorated with orange to encourage customers to eat more quickly. But this field is not 100 percent accurate. Two scientists from the University of Illinois, Charles Osgood and Francis Adams, conducted a study investigating how color made people feel.

They gathered a large group of study participants from over 20 cultures and asked them about how certain colors affected them on an emotional level. The scientists also reviewed 89 earlier studies on color. Each color was associated with specific impressions. The group felt that red signified vitality, activity and strength. White, green and blue were ranked as good while yellow was thought as weak. The response to gray and black was bad. The researchers also considered the association of color into different cultures and how it is traditionally being used. But despite cultural bias, they think that the different wavelengths of colors stimulate hormonal systems, thus resulting to a change in mood. But this theory was eventually questioned when other scientist said that colors can be produced in different ways and that the wave patterns of identical colors can vary.

A study conducted in 2008 investigated the effects of color to people's efficiency and productivity. The study entitled “The Effect of Appropriate and Inappropriate Stimulus Color on Odor Discrimination” revealed that people who work in a room lit with green and blue lights had lesser efficiency than people working in red, orange and white lights. An earlier study conducted back in 1994 measured the emotional reactions of people to different colors in terms of saturation hue and brightness. Despite the number of studies on the effects of color to people's mood, the results were limited to a general response and no specific associations had been established. Despite this, researchers believe that certain colors have positive effects on a person's mood. Blue, for example, is thought to be relaxing.

• Blue calms and relaxes

  Blue evokes a feeling of calm and relaxation. Going to the beach and being able to see so much blue – the skies and the water – can indeed be very relaxing. Being enveloped within a blue sky and sea can help in relieving the piled-up stress from work. Blue is also used to normalize hypertension, respiration and heart rate. A study observing the effects of the color blue to students' behavior shows that the color influenced the students to behave better.

• Green relieves depression and anxiety

  Depression and anxiety are often triggered by environmental stimulants. Visual stimulants like color can also have a positive influence on depression and anxiety. The color can have a calming effect to most people especially those who are suffering from mood disorders and it is recommended that they either have themselves surrounded with the color green or simply take a walk around a nature park for a few minutes. Green also helps in relieving heart problems, nervous disorders and exhaustion. In Broadway stages and theaters, you will normally find a green room where actors stay a few minutes before their performance in order to make them feel relaxed and ease tension. 

• Red stimulates energy

  Red is a very powerful color. It signifies many different things like love, romance, fire, passion and life. The color stimulates energy and helps a person feel revitalized. Red is a warm color that results to a warm feeling opposite to the cooling effects of green and blue. It can also increase brainwave activity and heart rate. Red is also considered a delectable color that improves appetite. Some food chains have chosen to paint the dominant red color on their walls; there's more to this color choice than just the company's aesthetic preferences.

• Pink calms people with violent behavior

  Pink is known to have calming effects on a person's mood. It is also thought to relax people with high violent tendencies. Prisons, rehabilitation centers and hospitals are often decorated and painted with the color pink in order to promote healing and relaxation. People who also like the color pink are also less likely to become violent.

• Yellow helps with memory

  Do you know why most Post-it notes are colored yellow? Studies suggest that the yellow is the most unforgettable color. The color is used by business professionals and students to remember dates, numbers and other information. Yellow also stimulates hypertension but not as strong as the color red. When reviewing for an exam or a presentation, it is good to write your notes on a yellow card. There are also notebooks with yellow pages for those important notes and reminders. Some business calendars are also colored yellow to help people be reminded of important dates.

Sources
naturalhealthontheweb.com
healing.about.com
healing.about.com
colourtherapyhealing.com
therapycolor.com