8/12/2019 Blue Makes You Creative

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Blue Makes You Creative, Red More PerceptiveThe red means danger so should we use red ink for medication warnings? And if blue signals thefreedom of open skies, how about brainstorming in a room painted blue?

Maybe so, says new research into how the brain reacts to colors: Red seems to improve attention to detail while blue sparks creativity.

"People are not aware o this e ect at all," marvels lead researcher !uliet hu o the #niversity o BritishColumbia, who studies how environmental cues a ect behavior.

$he subconscious e ect o color is a hot area o psycholo%y research, in part because marketers try to use colorto hook us on whatever they&re tryin% to sell.

'nd the newest research, published $hursday by the (ournal )cience, su%%ests they&d better be care ul * because red or blue can spark very di erent brain reactions dependin% on the task involved.

$he study put colle%e students throu%h a series o co%nitive tests, most involvin% computer screens colored

either red or blue. Both colors could enhance per ormance but in very di erent ways.

)tudents memori+ed more words when the list was on a red screen, or instance. $old to think o di erent usesor a brick, those shown a red screen listed practical thin%s like "build a house" while those who saw blue %otmore creative with "make a paperwei%ht& and "build a pet scratchin% post."

hen they rated ads, those who saw red back%rounds ocused on what to avoid * they liked toothpaste thatstressed cavity- i%htin% over tooth-whitenin% * while those who saw blue went or the creativity o a cameraad that showed travel ima%es instead o toutin% the +oom lens.

Because we learn early that red means to avoid dan%er, maybe it&s slowin% us down in detail-oriented tasks so

we can do them better * thin%s like memori+in%, proo readin%, readin% warnin% labels, concluded hu, anassistant marketin% pro essor, and co-author Ravi Mehta

But people associate blue with sky, reedom, peace, maybe sparkin% a eelin% o e ploration than in turnenhances creativity.

"/t&s really this learned association with these colors that drive these di erent motivations," hu said.

/ the indin%s are ri%ht, the creativity discovery could be a bi% advance * no one&s ever made such a link, said'ndrew 0lliot o the #niversity o Rochester, a leader in the ield o color psycholo%y.

But he had a bi% caution: $he study ocused on hue without properly takin% into account the intensity and bri%htness o the colors, meanin% it should be repeated to be sure.

Most color research has ocused on red, indin%, or e ample, that it makes %ood sports uni orms because it&sintimidatin%.

$he bottom line: " hat color research shows is our behavior is driven by thin%s we aren&t aware o , by thin%swe see on a re%ular basis," he said. "/t&s important to know, so when one sees red one can maybe try tocounteract the natural tendency to make mistakes and ail."

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