Here’s our amazing weight loss tip for the week: paint your kitchen purple. Why? Well, cool shades, especially purple, apparently slow muscular response and calm your nerves. That controls appetite.
Colors are said to affect emotions, blood pressure, pulse, sense of time, perception of temperature, and more. Here are some things to think about for your next painting project.
Cool colors (blue and green) calm us and make us feel cooler, so they’re good for libraries and south or west-facing rooms that feel hot and stuffy. (Most greens actually do double-duty, appearing warm in winter and cool in summer.) These colors also make time seem to move more quickly, so you may want to try them out where you pay the bills or do other boring tasks.
Warm colors (red, orange and some browns) make us feel warmer, so they’re great for north-facing rooms. Red also suggests passion and is said to stimulate the brain and heart. It can also induce aggression, so it’s probably not a great color for the kids’ playroom.
Yellow’s a happy color. It reminds us of sunlight and seems to radiate warmth.
Primary colors are said to increase self-esteem, and people over age 65 supposedly prefer them to neutral colors like beige, tan, or taupe. These neutral colors either suggest calm efficiency or cold, lifeless depression, depending on your point of view.
Which brings up a good point: no matter what the scientists say, our reaction to colors is based on a lot of personal associations; maybe you love eggshell blue because your childhood room was that color.
Before we go, here’s another job once you’ve finished the kitchen: paint your porch pale blue. Apparently, flies hate it.