How does the color of our clothes affect our productivity and workouts?

How does the color of our clothes affect our productivity and workouts?

NHL teams received the biggest penalties when players wore black-colored “away” uniforms.

Color is not only a way to express yourself, but also a great motivator. It affects a person’s mood, energy and productivity, scientists say. Remember the feeling when Instagram changed its logo to a more concise and colorful one. There is also a connection between color and sports – the success of training depends largely on mood. We tell you how you can “play” with colors when performing different sports tasks.

What do scientists say?

Different shades sharpen different feelings – red, for example, is defined as the color of passion and even aggression, and green – as the color of calmness. This is what psychologists and physiologists say – they study color science. There are few studies on this topic, but there are some. So, in 2011, researchers found out that black color causes aggression. The authors came to this conclusion after studying the statistics of 52 thousand NHL games. The biggest penalties the team received when players were in the “guest” form of black color. There were no such problems with the white-colored “home” uniforms.

Durham University found out that the color of clothing affects not only the perception of the athlete by others, but also on the probability of winning in competitions. Scientists worked through the results of competitions at the Olympic Games in 2004 and soccer matches at the European Cup of the same year. And this is what they found out – in 55% of cases teams in red uniforms won. It is clear that there is no scientific evidence of this yet. And color is not the most important factor in winning….

How does color affect productivity and training?

In 2017, the research group Experience Design studied this question. Scientists concluded that red increases heart rate, affects blood pressure, increases heart rate and breathing. They explain this by the fact that the fiery hue is produced by the longest wavelengths.

We can see and distinguish shades thanks to the brain’s reaction to light waves – processing this information requires a lot of effort. And in stressful situations, the hormone cortisol is produced – it is this hormone that wakes us up in the morning and puts us in a state of full “combat readiness”. Blue, on the contrary, calms us and reduces heartbeat. The green color suppresses the synthesis of melatonin and sets us in a positive mood. That’s why it’s so nice to run outdoors in the summer.

BUT: almost all associations with different shades are based on personal preferences, habits and environment. In most countries, red is the color of passion, and in India, for example, it is the traditional color of wedding dresses. For many, white is a symbol of purity, but in some Eastern countries it is a symbol of mourning. Black is often used as a form of protest – Lady Gaga and Madonna used this shade in their images on the occasion to support the #MeToo movement. Rihanna and Beyoncé wore all yellow to support black people in the #BlackWomenInYellow movement.

What color to choose for strength training, cardio and yoga?

Summarizing everything we’ve learned about color and its effect on workouts:

• Red is good for strength and intensity training. Plus, the fiery hue will help you make a statement at competitions.
• Green is perfect for running – we immediately think of the park and fresh air.
• Blue will help you work on your squat technique – it enhances concentration.
• For yoga and stretching, choose muted purple – pastel shades set you up for low-intensity exercises. In chemistry, this color is considered neutral – now you can see where the expression “everything is purple” comes from.
• Yellow or orange is perfect for dancing and cardio. These colors are the warmest and associated with the sun. And to be sad in such colors is unlikely to want someone – except for the most desperate pessimists. But, don’t you agree, it’s at least strange to look gloomy against the background of yellow?