1. The human eye can see approximately 1 million colours, whereas people who are colourblind can only see 10,000. (Fiona MacDonald, ScienceAlert)
2. Black is the absence of color and is therefore not a colour. White is the blending of all colours and is a colour. – Think about it, is anything in the world ever purely black?
3. Red is the first colour a baby sees – This is due to the wavelengths of the red being the longest, baby’s can register red from as young as two weeks (Anna Franklin, Baby Lab at University of Sussex)
4. Blue is the Worlds Most Favourite Colour – 40% say their favourite colour is blue. Scientists Stehpen. E. Palmer and Karen.B Schloss, have found this is to do with the universally positive connection people associate with the colour. Say ‘blue’ and people immediately think of clear blue skies and sea. If you like roses, strawberries and apples, your favourite is more likely to be red. (Palmer & Schloss, PNAS)
5. Men and Women Perceive Colour Differently – Women can see different tones, and men can only see the colour. This is due to a gene within the X chromosome, women have two of these, whereas men only have one. (Israel Abramov, Brooklyn College)
6. Pink Suppresses Anger – This is why prisons and mental health institutes often paint their walls pink, to calm the inmates and patients. The most calming tone is called Baker-Miller Pink (Alexander Schauss, Research Gate)
7. Red and Yellow are the most Appetising Colours – You can see this in many fast-food chain logo’s – McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Wimpy … the list goes on! Apparently blue is the least appetising colour so paint your kitchen this colour if you’re on a diet.
8. Mosquitos are drawn to dark colours – This is something to think about when travelling to a tropical country, they love the colour blue the most – so don’t pack too many blue items of clothing. (A. S. Packard, JSTOR)
9. Colour Stimulates Memory – If you’re having a hard time remembering notes you’ve written down, it may be worth writing coloured paper or using a pen with coloured ink. On a loosely related note, if someone is dyslexic they can find the glare of white paper interferes with their ability to see properly, try using a pastel coloured page to help this.
10. Isaac Newton Invented the Colour Wheel – Newton devised the colour wheel whilst studying light reflecting off prisms. He then played around with different hues, and then indentified these with a musical note. He first tried placing this in a square, then finally into a circle.
