Color me happy

(3d_kot)

BMC Medical Research Methodology, an open access, peer-review journal devoted to methodological approaches to healthcare research, published on February 9 a novel study using a color wheel to identify and validate emotions.

The Manchester Color Wheel study was conducted on healthy, anxious and depressed individuals and found that "yellow was the most drawn to color and blue the commonest favourite color in all subjects".

However participants in the study chose different colors to represent their "best" mood depending on their mental wellbeing. Yellow and grey on different spectrums of the color wheel reflected the same mood but for different groups, those that were content and those that were depressed respectively.

The researchers concluded that the color wheel, based on the shade variance, could be an effective clinical tool for getting individuals to open up about feelings and may have further implications on diagnosis and treatments.

Chromotherapy, or color therapy, is not new; scientists, holistic health professionals, psychologists and even interior designers have promoted the benefits and importance of color. The connection between a specific color and an emotion may not be obvious. Here are some fun ways to learn more about colors and emotions:

Improve your life with chromotherapy (video):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHGDyMpuwJ0

The color quiz (interactive):  http://www.colorquiz.com/cgi-bin/start3.cgi

The Manchester Color Wheel study:  http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2288/10/12/abstract