“Everyone has a favourite colour that may change their mood or reflect special characteristics of their personality. Different frequencies of light stimulate the pituitary and pineal glands to secrete different hormones, indicating the physiological basis to mood and behaviour. Choosing different colours for our clothes, homes and belongings can thus have a deep effect on us,” writes psychologist and colour expert Rabab Al-Sheshtawi in her book Awalem Al-Insan Al-Maghoula (Unknown Worlds of Humans). The colours a person wears can affect the energy he feels, she says. “They can also help heal a sick person on both the psychological and the physical levels. The colours that surround us in nature as well as in the food we eat can have similar effects,” she says. “There are seven chakras [centres] of energy in the human body, and each has a colour that corresponds to an organ and its activity from the bottom to the top of the body,” Al-Sheshtawi adds. “Each chakra is represented by a different colour in the order of the spectrum from red to indigo. When a person wears a colour corresponding to the colour of a certain chakra, the body part that is ill can be relieved since wearing this colour or being surrounded by it makes up for the lack of it in the body,” she argues. “For example, a person with a bad leg should wear red since this colour strengthens the lower chakra. The heart chakra is green, so if a person has heart problems they should wear green since this person may have problems in green energy flow.” “If someone has a sore throat, they should wear blue since the chakra of the throat is blue. Blue can also help to ward off negative energy, explaining why people relax when they see the blue colour of the sea. When you feel relaxed, you feel protected, so automatically you receive positive energy and become calm,” she says. Chakra “The forehead and the eye chakra is indigo, known as ‘the crown chakra',” says Al-Sheshtawi, adding that people with thyroid diseases should wear blue and those with eye problems should wear indigo or purple. Blue and green can also be used to calm people down. “Many problems come from worry, so blue can be good for everyone. Since these colours are in the middle of the rainbow, they are also moderate in energy. Naughty children should wear blue and green clothes, as blue can quieten them down. Red, on the other hand, raises the level of adrenaline in the body and can make children wild. However, it can help with low blood pressure, while purple can help with hypertension,” says Al-Sheshtawi. She warns people about choosing the wrong colours, as this can have a negative effect on their behaviour. “The problem is that people may be inclined to wear certain colours because of their birth signs, with a fiery birth sign choosing fiery colours and water birth signs liking to wear shades of blue. But if the latter wore more orange or red, they would get more energy. People with fiery birth signs should wear shades of grey or blue to calm them down. The same goes for lazy or introverted children,” she says. Wearing a spectrum of colours can give the most benefits. “In most cases, there is a suitable colour for each day of the week, since there are seven days of the week and seven colours in the rainbow. So, to start the week, try wearing red, and then changing day by day – Monday orange, Tuesday yellow, Wednesday green, Thursday blue, Friday magenta and Saturday indigo, for example,” Al-Sheshtawi says. Different colours may also suit different places. “Horizontal stripes give a sense of tranquillity, while vertical ones give a sense of motion and are ideal in offices,” she says. Red has a low wavelength but yields high energy, and indigo is the opposite. Yellow helps a person be creative and is recommended for writers. The same thing goes for purple, which helps a person concentrate. The darker the colour, the more strength a person may feel. Using a variety of colours is also good during meals. Yellow peppers and orange carrots are good for the appetite and digestion when used in salads. Black, however, should be avoided since it is a morbid colour that absorbs the energy of the person wearing it. White is good, since it combines all the colours of the spectrum. The effects of colour on energy do not differ by age. “Mothers should be careful to have their newly born children wear rainbow colours to help them grow. The elderly are keen on wearing blue and darker colours to make them calm. Men typically have shorter life spans than women since they do not wear enough colours, though this is not what happens in the natural world. Male peacocks are notorious for their colours, for example, and there is no reason why men should not imitate them,” Al-Sheshtawi says. It is a phenomenon that is changing in any case, since young men are now wearing red and fuchsia, unthinkable some 20 years ago. “As a rule of thumb, the older you get, the more colours you should wear to preserve your vitality,” she adds, saying that elderly women in particular should go for bright colours and not pay attention to criticism. Among the tips Al-Sheshtawi has for those wanting to add more colour to their lives are the following. Always make your lives more colourful by using more colours at home. Put a red frame on the wall in the living room or use turquoise or blue or green. Try out little details that add joy. If the decoration in a home is grim, it will give no energy. Prepare colourful meals, important since the energy in different food types is different. A plate of salad with lots of colour in it can be very nutritious. Use as much orange as you can in your dining room, since it is good for the appetite. Mothers should also make the rooms of their children more colourful. Buy them colourful bed sheets or curtains. Turn on a blue or green lamp at night, as it can help children to relax. But don't use red in children's bedrooms, as it can make them hyperactive.