How Color Can Influence Memory Performance

The brain is a complex computing system. Even the most advanced scientists do not fully understand the ins and outs of all its incredible functions. Some fascinating facets of the brain and its processing abilities, however, have been confirmed. One such facet involves the ways color can have an effect on a person and their brain.

Colors have the ability to affect the way a person perceives the world and how they feel. This is because of the way that certain colors affect the brain and the thoughts and feelings certain colors can provoke. But what does color have to do with memory performance? And can color be utilized to help improve memory?

What effects do colors have on the brain?
Colors have been proven to play an influential role in the mind, emotions, and even bodily functions. The types of reactions that color can elicit from the mind and body are caused by psychological effects of color perception, biological conditioning, and cultural implementation. Seeing different colors can also drive certain physiological responses such as anxiety, pulse, and blood flow.

Color psychology is the study dedicated to how colors can cause different responses within the mind. This area of study focuses solely on how certain colors bring about different moods and emotions. For example, color psychology has found that warm colors such as red, orange, and yellow can lead to feelings ranging from comfort to hostility. Cool colors such as blue, green, and purple can cause a person to feel calm or even sad.

Every different color can cause someone to feel a certain way, depending on how they perceive it and what they may associate the color with subconsciously. It’s thought that because every color has its own wavelength, and thus its own magnetic energy, it has the ability to affect neurological pathways. So, it’s not exactly the color that is having the effect on a person, but rather, the wavelength their brain is experiencing when it perceives the color.

The effects of color on memory
Processes such as perception, attention, memory, and thinking are all parts that make up a person’s level of cognition. Memory, being a core cognitive process, can be hindered or improved in a variety of different ways. Some research has found that color can impact memory in a truly interesting way.

For example, studies have shown that when people were are asked to recall text or color, they were much more apt to remember a color they were shown over a word or sentence. This was also true when people were asked to remember objects and colors. Studies have also shown that color is the most vital visual experience for people because of how it acts as an information channel.

Some experts believe that cognitive performance is affected by color because of the mood colors can provoke in the person perceiving them.

Does color help memory?
Seeing that color seems to evoke the greatest recall for people, it may be safe to assume that it can help to improve memory. But can it truly improve a person’s ability to remember certain information? When it comes to learning and memory retention, colors may be much more important than people think.

For example, some studies done using Alzheimer’s patients found that using color cues helped to improve their recall for certain images. What’s more, those who participated were also found to remember images that were in color as opposed to black-and-white. Although there are many factors that go into how a person perceives colors, such as their own personal experience, it’s pretty safe to say that colors can play a vital role in memory retention when used in certain settings.

Another study looking at specific colors and how they could help with memory found that red and blue were the best colors when it came to enhancing cognition and brain function. Red came out on top when it came to memory retention, which could be tied to the impact the color red has from a societal point of view. Red is the sign of stop signs and danger, and typically the color of pens used by teachers when marking students’ work. This association may lead to a person remembering red better because of the urgency and importance it is associated with in both the realm of learning and the real world.

Other research has shown that since the color red drives caution into one’s mind, it gives people the subconscious need to be more detail-oriented and pay better attention. That underlying caution they are unaware of could be leading them to study the object with the color further and in a more detailed way, which could be the reason for its higher rate of recall later on.

Does pen color affect memory?
Since the color of red pen can help students pay more attention in class, it’s likely that pen color while writing can also have an effect on how well a student’s memory is when it comes to lesson plans. If students were to use red pen while writing, it may lead to better memory retention; however, as yet there have not been studies conducted on the use of pen color and memory retention that could confirm this.

Although more research needs to be done on the color phenomenon when it comes to memory retention, it is safe to say that colors have a proven ability to enhance memory performance. It all depends on the color used and how a person perceives that particular shade.

Featured image by Pawel Czerwiński on Unsplash