The Art World
The Persuasive Power of Color
Trying to improve your performance at work? Maybe it’s time to consider the color of your walls or your computer screen. According to a recent study, the color red can make people’s work more accurate and the color blue can make people more creative.
Researchers conducted tests to determine whether cognitive performance varied when people saw red or blue. Participants performed tasks with words or images displayed against red, blue or neutral backgrounds on their computer screens. The red groups did better on tests of recall and attention to detail, such as remembering words or checking spelling and punctuation. The blue groups did better on tests requiring imagination such as inventing creative uses for inanimate objects. So, it would appear that if enhanced memory for something like proofreading skills is the goal, then a red color should be used, but for a brainstorming session on a new product, get people into a blue room.
Experts say that colors may affect cognitive performance because of the moods they engender.
For instance, when you feel that the situation you are in is problematic, you are more likely to pay attention to detail, which helps you with processing tasks but interferes with creative types of things.
Conversely, people in a happy mood are more creative and less analytic. When participants were asked which color they believed would improve performance, most said blue for both detail-oriented and creative tasks. Professors caution that the responses could be skewed because more people seem to prefer the color blue to the color red.
Interestingly, the study also tested responses to advertising, finding that advertisements listing product details or emphasizing “avoidance” actions held greater appeal on red backgrounds, while ones using creative designs or emphasizing positive actions held more appeal on blue.
It might also matter whether a color dominates someone’s view, as on a computer screen, or is only part of what is seen. Brightness or intensity of color, not just the color itself, might also have an effect. It is important to note that the study did not involve different cultures, such as China, where red symbolizes prosperity and luck. It also did not address what effects, if any, there were when red and blue were mixed to make purple.
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