Family Matters

e take color for granted, yet without it, our lives would be black and white, uninteresting and uninspired.

We can see shades of the rainbow everywhere in nature, especially in the spring and fall. Color is as important as music in our lives and since it subtly influences the way we think, feel, and act during the time we’re awake, it’s logical that we should learn as much about it as we can.

Until man became "civilized", color always had a spiritual meaning and "primitive" people would tie colored string or cloth around their finger or neck, not to be attractive, but to communicate with the spirits of the universe. They felt that color, like music, was a gift of the gods and by concentrating on a particular shade, they could commune with a particular deity.

Rainbows were always revered

and held a spiritual significance for early man. In early Greece, the rainbow was called Iris, the name that has remained with us as the color of our eyes.

Color has fascinated people for hundreds of years, but has only recently been taken seriously by researchers, hoping to discover why some colors make us feel happy and positive and others have the opposite effect. Color psychology is a science in itself and studies have shown that certain colors are relaxing, some are invigorating, and others are irritating. Knowing that, we can learn to use colors to our advantage by creating a pleasant home environment.

Many adults instinctively wear red when they are tired since it’s a stimulating color for many and seems to boost the energy level. Most bars, cocktail lounges and fast food restaurants use a great deal of red and orange since it

encourages eating and fun. And while red may invigorate an adult, it sometimes has the opposite effect upon children.

For most of us, introductions to places, things, or people are accompanied by visual impressions which often have to do with colors in the room or clothing.

We’re drawn to the colors we like and put off by those we don’t. Similarly, we may be attracted to people who share our love of blue and repelled by those who only wear black that we may associate with gloom, doom, and sadness.

There are many references to color in everyday language that are familiar to most of us:

green with envy	got the blue
seeing red	in the pink
under a black cloud	white with fear
green-eyed monster	blushing scarlet
rose-colored glasses	good as gold

If color weren’t such an important part of our lives, there wouldn’t be so many references to it in connection with our emotions.

Have you ever handed a dress

to your daughter and had her refuse to wear it? And then she picks out something you think is unsuitable? Maybe we need to listen more closely to our children. He may be telling us that he needs a soothing color on the day of a big test, or she needs one that will stimulate her before a soccer game.

If color didn’t influence us, why do football coaches paint the home team’s dressing room red and the visitors' one blue?

Janet Tubbs is founder and president of Children’s Resource Center, in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is also one of the Founders of VegSource. Her column, Family Matters, is a regular feature of VegSource On-Line Magazine.