suppresses appetite But too much blue can make a person feel cold, sad, or depressed. Are you facing a test or other stressful challenge today? Dress in blue and wear a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses.

Green: Mentally and physically relaxing; balances emotions; creates openness between you and others. But too much green can make a person in a bad mood feel worse. Next time you have a headache or muscle aches, look at a plant. Even better, surround yourself with foliage.

Yellow: Energizes; promotes learning; improves memory; stimulates appetite; combats the doldrums. But too much yellow can make a person feel tired or irritated. If you really want to remember something, take notes on a yellow legal pad or yellow sticky notes.

Orange: Like the sun, orange is a natural healer and mood lifter; has a gentle warming effect, and increases appetite. But too much orange can make nervous people more agitated. If you’re feeling low, eat cake and drink a glass of orange juice.

Red: Stimulates brainwave activity; increases heart rate and blood pressure; improves circulation. But too much red can make people aggressive and agitated. Trying out for the team or need to make a speech? Wear something red – a scarf, cap, or shirt.

Pink: Suppresses appetite; relaxes muscles; relieves tension and violent tendencies. But too much pink can make people sleepy. Going home with bad news? Give your spouse a bouquet of pink flowers before delivering it.

How does color work?

Color originates in light. What a person sees as color is actually a ray of light out of the sun’s entire spectrum reflected off an object and perceived by the eye.

If you are looking at a red apple, all the invisible rays of sunlight shine on the apple. The surface of the apple absorbs all the colored light rays, except those corresponding to red. Red is reflected. Your eyes receive the reflected red rays and send a message to your brain that you are looking at the color red.

Each color radiates a different wavelength of energy. Violet has the shortest wavelength. Red has the longest wavelength. From shortest to longest wave length the color order goes as follows: violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.

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Article from Scholastic Choices May 2002 printed in the February 2006 issue of Catholic Digest.