What is your favourite colour? Do you like yellow, orange, or red? If you do, you must be anoptimist(乐观主义者),a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. Do youprefer greys and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be a pessimist(悲观主义者). At least, this is what psychologists tell us,andthey should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of colour preference, aswell as the effect that colours have on human beings. They tell us, among other facts, that we do notchoose our favourite colour as we grow up—we are born with our preference. If you happen to lovebrown, you did so as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.

Colours do influence our moods—there is no doubt about it. A yellow room makes most peoplefeel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. On the other hand, black is depressing. A black bridge over the ThamesRiver, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides(自杀)than any other bridge in thearea—until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply;perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.

Light and bright colours make people not only happier but more active. It is an established factthat factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are paintedorange rather than black or grey.