Does red make you spend money? Yes! The High Street has been using red to make us spend more money for years. For instance I made a point of watching a TV programme about how the High Street sells its products. Clever marketers have been using all five of our senses to make us spend more money with them for such a long time now we don’t even notice what’s going on, and these tactics include colour. Psychologically we are attracted to red because of its frequency so marketing people use it for sale signs. Think how often you see red used in sale signs.
The entire spectrum of colours is derived from light, our most important energy source. So colour is just another form of energy that we ‘perceive’ in our brains. Each colour vibrates at a different frequency which is measured in terahertz (THz). For the colour nerds (like me) you might be interested to know that approximate frequency ranges for the various colours are:
- Red: 430 – 482
- Orange: 482 – 503
- Yellow: 503 – 520
- Green: 520 – 610
- Blue: 610 – 659
- Violet: 659- 759
Red has a low frequency but it also has a longer wavelength than the other colours so it does not get ‘scattered’ easily as we look at it. This is what attracts and keeps our attention and why red is used for brake tail lights, stop signs, and for danger signals.
Another more practical reason is that we instinctively know that red means a warning of some kind; since the days when our cavemen ancestors hunted for their own food, this is now buried deep within our DNA because red is the colour of blood!
Red in your hair?
While we’re on the subject, did you know that everyone has red in their hair? Oh yes, indeedy. Blondes have more red in their hair than any other type. But don’t get caught out here, perhaps thinking that red means warmth. Remember, assumption is the mother of all misconception!
Red comes in a variety of shades – some are Warm, some are Cool, and some are Neutral. For instance, I have the coolest skin, hair and eyes on the planet. Bring anything remotely warm-toned in front of my face and you’ll be calling for a stretcher!
Hundreds of years ago, when my hair was its natural dark brunette brown, I had it coloured and it went orange. I know now that this was because the colourist hadn’t a clue what she was doing and had applied a ‘warm’ colourant which ‘kicked up’ the natural red in my hair.
Add warmth to red and what do you get?
Take a look at a colour wheel and locate a warm red – you’re looking at orange, or orange-red, or red-orange. It’s obvious to me now but back then, I hadn’t a clue why I looked like a satsuma.