We typically don’t think of colour affecting athletic outcome. But research on the subject should open our eyes to the possibility.
Psychologists have researched the effects of colour to determine how it influences our mood.
–Does green make people feel calm?
–Does yellow bring energy and make people think of the sun?
–Does a person wearing a red dress shirt seem more confident vis-a-vis a person wearing an orange shirt?
CT Shirts—retailers of Charles Tyrwhitt white shirts–tell us more of the story.
While the effects of each colour can change depending on the person, it’s also apparent that colour does influence mood. But if colour can affect us mentally, can it also affect us physically?
Here of several examples of how it might.
—Red elicits confidence, even aggressiveness.
—Blue entices calmness.
—Green expresses health.
—Black has connotations of death.
If our moods are heightened or dampened based on colours, it would make sense that colours could be used to amplify athletic performance. But colour selection is rarely used for the purpose of gaining athletic advantage. Consider running club colours. The main purpose of club colours is to identify runners on the track. Edinburgh University Hare & Hounds Running Club wear green. The colours of the Glasgow University club are black and gold.
Courtesy: Awareness Act
But numerous sources have cited that teams wearing a red sports kit are more successful than those wearing other colors. For example, Hill and Barton conducted a study regarding combat sports and concluded that red had a higher success rate than blue. Red apparently sends a message of aggression and dominance to the opponent.
But another study–this time of Judo athletes–showed blue contestants had a higher victory rate than those wearing white. The study was not wholly controlled, though; the blue-kit wearing contestants were seeded as the top 11%. Due to that–and even in the loser’s pool–the athletes in blue had competed in one less match and had longer rest periods. Another study corrected these variables and found uniform colour had little impact on success.
The colour of an athlete’s kit can affect other things, too. Minnpost reported a finding as discovered by psychologist Tom Stafford. Stafford suggested that colour didn’t affect athletes as much as it affected the referees. He used studies of digital colour manipulation to support that theory. Referees were shown images–with colours worn by contestants altered, and referees awarded more points to athletes photoshopped in the red kit than in blue kit.
Could it also be that the colour of sportswear has more effect on people observing an athletic contest than on the athletes themselves?
There’s yet another explanation. Instead of looking at the colour of what athletes wear, we might be better off considering the athletic surroundings. At least that’s the conclusion drawn by the Swiss running website, On. The power of colour psychology in that way of thinking comes from colours associated with a runner’s surroundings.
So, while running in a grey room may be uninspiring and clinical, running in a colourful room might perk up the athlete. If a team or athlete wins a race, then, it’s less likely to be the result of the color of a team’s/athlete’s jersey–red or not.
There’s a lot to think about!
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