Colour has an impact on how people treat and react to you. Whether it be the colours of your car, clothes, the colour of your hair or the colours of makeup you choose – they all have an effect. That’s according to research conducted by two freelance writers, doctor Monika Wassermann and psychologist and sex and relationships advisor Ieva Kubiliute.
How many of us shy away from making a statement with the use of bold colours just not to rock the boat or because we are too caught up about what someone else might think be it on a date, client meeting, or social outing?
Would the colours of our lives and in our closets change if we didn’t care what others thought? And if we “turned the dial to F-it” and wore the colours that made us happiest, would we see a change in our personal and work lives and as a result have a more positive impact on others? When someone is described as “colourful” it’s because they are exciting, engaging and often full of life.
Colour is an often overlooked sensory cue when it comes to how others perceive you. By learning which colours provoke which reactions you can become the master creator of your life, according to the duo, who believe there is a lot to be said about the psychology of colour.
Wasserman and Kubiliute carried out the research which found that once you learn which colours to wear for different events you can completely change another person’s perception of you. They delved into the psychology of colour through the use of an infographic of lipstick colours. They did this to illustrate a point on how one can tailor colours to match the influence they’d like to have on others and even impact the type of day they might have.
“Colours penetrate our subconscious and change our behaviours,” says Wassermann. “By understanding the power of colour you can not only influence those around you but also change the entire course of your day.”
Kubiliute goes as far as saying that colour is a “powerhouse” when it comes to influencing our thoughts and emotions. Therefore, every colour has a purpose and should not be kicked off the list.
“The psychology of colour is not to be underestimated. Choosing the right colours to adorn yourself with can make you appear more sexy, confident and even more intelligent,” says Kubiliute.
The lipstick psychology of colour chart
Not everyone can relate to lipstick colour but they could relate to how a colour makes them feel, conjures up good memories and how bringing that colour into their lives on a more amplified level might heighten their mood or creativity, for example.
How does colour influence business success?
Colour has been tied to consumer behaviour so it could easily influence how you present your freelancer brand to clients. Customers, for example, make a yes / no decision about a product or brand within 90 seconds – and 90% of them make the decision based on whether they like the colours or not, according to a report by Myva360.
Therefore, if you want to test colours in a business capacity, then consider running a colour test via social media with your followers or your dream customer. Create the same logo or font, but in different colours or colourways, and ask your followers in a poll which one they’d click first and why in the comments – and then respond with some input on what their colour choice represents according to the experts (take a cue from the infographic above or citing a tip from here). Who knows they might even start playing around with colours for their websites and social media following your poll.
In the meantime, have some fun playing around with the colour of your LinkedIn banner, your Zoom backdrop or the colour of your home office. Then who knows, you just might work your way up to rocking more vibrant colours in your wardrobe even if it starts out with a work-from-home cosy jumper or your feel-good Friday Zoom call t-shirt. If it lifts your mood on a cloudy day, or makes you feel more confident, focused or fun, you never know what the day will bring.
I work in office environments where my fellow colleagues wear short skirts and low tops. In central london law firms those colleagues are dealt with swiftly by HR. In those same environments, I also see colleagues using ‘colour’ as a cover for ability. HR are very clear on their views for this continually triggered issue. An employer needs results and profits, not the continued discussing of topics that the media has succeeded in running thin. The human games which detract from the ‘bottom-line’ (no offense) usually run diametrically opposed, and are just one more headache not just for HR but for the 99% of workers who want to go in and work (do their job, please the customer, get paid, go home.) Good try.