And the newest research, published Thursday by the journal Science, suggests they'd better be careful - because red or blue can spark very different brain reactions depending on the task involved.
The study put college students through a series of cognitive tests, most involving computer screens colored either red or blue. Both colors could enhance performance but in very different ways.
Students memorized more words when the list was on a red screen, for instance. Told to think of different uses for a brick, those shown a red screen listed practical things like "build a house" while those who saw blue got more creative with "make a paperweight' and "build a pet scratching post."
When they rated ads, those who saw red backgrounds focused on what to avoid - they liked toothpaste that stressed cavity-fighting over tooth-whitening - while those who saw blue went for the creativity of a camera ad that showed travel images instead of touting the zoom lens.
The study put college students through a series of cognitive tests, most involving computer screens colored either red or blue. Both colors could enhance performance but in very different ways.
Students memorized more words when the list was on a red screen, for instance. Told to think of different uses for a brick, those shown a red screen listed practical things like "build a house" while those who saw blue got more creative with "make a paperweight' and "build a pet scratching post."
When they rated ads, those who saw red backgrounds focused on what to avoid - they liked toothpaste that stressed cavity-fighting over tooth-whitening - while those who saw blue went for the creativity of a camera ad that showed travel images instead of touting the zoom lens.
