How Colors Affect You: What Science Reveals

Series: Great Courses

4.4

(118)

Episodes

Rating

TVPG

Year

2013

Language

English

Publisher

The Great Courses

About

There's an actual science behind how colors work on your eyes and your brain. And the secrets that scientists are uncovering offer astounding revelations on how colors influence the way you think, feel, and behave. Now you can learn how to tap into the power of color to create environments and achieve a range of visual goals in these six lectures, led by design expert.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1. The Meanings of Color

30m

Begin your exploration of how colors affect you with a look at the general science behind color, first uncovered by Isaac Newton. Then, investigate the pervasive power of color on human behavior with a close look at how color shapes our perception of what food tastes like. Finally, discover the three core ideas that form the foundation of how all humans perceive, interpret, and respond to color.

2. The Black and White Lecture

30m

In this fascinating lecture, Professor Lidwell takes you inside the meanings behind these two elemental colors. You focus on two specific contexts for black and white: competitive contexts (where black signals aggression and white signals submission) and moral contexts (where black signals evil and white signals goodness).

3. The Red Lecture

30m

Turn now to the color red, which holds a unique place in the pantheon of colors, thanks to its primal significance in expressing fear, strength, beauty, status, and passion. What do we know with confidence about the meanings behind the color red? Find out by examining several powerful examples of the color red at work.

4. The Yellow Lecture

30m

Why is yellow the most vibrant color to the human eye? How does the human eye detect yellow wavelengths so effectively? Why is there such a fine line between "good" and "bad" shades of yellow? How can it work to help increase cognitive performance? Find the answers to these and other provocative questions in this richly detailed and rewarding lecture on one of nature's most powerful colors.

5. The Green Lecture

30m

Fertility. Envy. Success. These are just a few of the many common associations the brain makes with the color green. Here, Professor Lidwell takes you even deeper into this lush color, guiding you through an exploration of two lesser-known contexts of green: as a way to foster creativity and a way to reduce anxiety and mental fatigue.

6. The Blue Lecture

30m

In this final lecture, focus on the last color in the logical color sequence and one of the most commonly chosen favorite colors throughout the world: blue. As you'll discover, there are some interesting and unique properties of the color blue that set it apart from other colors and make it seem, in some respects, almost magical.

Extended Details

SeriesGreat Courses

Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

William LidwellWriter

William LidwellActor

Similar Artists

Richard Poulin