Posted: 10 Feb 2011 08:30 AM PST

Skillful interior decorating is largely an artistic endeavor, but there's some science involved as well, and none more important than the psychology of color.

"Color psychology can help you choose paint colors that create the right mood in a room, affecting not just your own feelings, but those of everyone who enters the space," according to Debbie Zimmer, color expert at the Paint Quality Institute. "In fact, paint color is so powerful that it can influence not just our state of mind, but even our physiology," she says.

"The ancient Egyptians, Native Americans, and many other peoples used color to heal. In doing so, they often favored the blues and greens found in nature, colors that have an emotional association with peace, harmony, and tranquillity. In these trying economic times, paint colors in these same hues can help calm our nerves at home," says Zimmer.

Blue, which often ranks at the top of surveys exploring "favorite" colors, has been shown to slow pulse rate and lower body temperature. The implications for interior painting: blue is a terrific color choice for bedrooms, but less so for dining rooms, according to Zimmer.

Green, also among the most popular colors, is a little more versatile. While it, too, has a soothing effect, it also represents renewal, youth, and vigor. Says Zimmer: "Because it is calming, green paint is a good color choice for bedrooms, and since it's the color of many appetizing fruits and vegetables, it can work in dining rooms, too."

There's no equivocation with red. It bespeaks energy and excitement, actually raising the blood pressure and making the heart beat faster. Because red is associated with desire and passion, it's a perfect paint color for dining rooms and adult bedrooms, says Zimmer, but wrong for children's rooms. Yet, ironically, pink — a very light tint of red — is one of the most calming colors, and is a fine choice for a baby's room, she says.

Yellow is a great interior paint color. Like sunshine, it imparts happiness, hope, and optimism. Studies have shown that the brain actually releases more serotonin when the eye takes in yellow — creating positive psychological vibes. According to Zimmer, yellow can even stir our creative juices. What better color to use in a master bath or dinette to get your day off on the right foot?

Orange is also a happy color. More attention-getting than yellow, orange has an energy and warmth about it. Muddy shades are useful in many parts of the home, but vivid tones may appear raw and flamboyant. Zimmer's advice: "Orange is clearly not the color of calm, so it's best to bypass it when painting a bedroom or any other area where you want to relax."

Purple is a tricky paint color wherever it's used, but it is the overwhelming favorite of adolescent girls, according to Zimmer. She suggests that you reserve use of this color for your daughter's room to create a win-win situation: "Odds are, she'll love it, and you can take comfort in purple's proven ability to stimulate brain activity," she says.

No discussion of paint color would be complete without mentioning the "non-colors", black (the absence of light, and thus, color) and white (the confluence of all the colors in the spectrum).

According to Zimmer, black is a great accent color indoors or out, imparting elegance, formality, and sophistication to a paint color scheme. But don't get carried away with it, she cautions. Too much black can be depressing.

White, on the other hand, conveys peace, simplicity, and spaciousness. It can provide a crisp finish to almost any paint job by adding sharp contrast to the wall color. Used throughout a room, it can give the illusion that the space is bigger than its physical dimensions.

"Color psychology should play a role when selecting an interior paint scheme, but it's only one factor to consider," says Zimmer. "Personal color preference should be given at least as much weight.

"No one will spend more time in your home than you will," says Zimmer, "so it's important to paint with those colors that are personal favorites. Choose colors that you love, and you won't go wrong."

For more information on paint color and affordable remodeling with paint, visit www.paintquality.com.

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It’s Not the Online Coupons. It’s the Psychology.

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 04:01 AM PST

You might think that this column is about Groupon.com, the white-hot Web site whose coupons save you 50 to 90 percent at local businesses. But it's not. It's about psychology.

Each day, Groupon offers for sale a deep-discount coupon from a business in your town. It might be a $25 coupon that buys you a $50 bike tune-up, or a $40 coupon for a $90 massage, or $25 for $100 worth of fitness classes. The coupons aren't actually distributed until a critical mass of people (50, for example) have clicked "Buy." After all, shopkeepers can't afford discounts that steep unless there's something in it for them.

If not enough people express interest, the deal dies. No coupons are issued, and nobody's out a cent.

Groupon is, therefore, a huge win-win-win. You save eyebrow-raising amounts of money. Local businesses pick up a landslide of new customers overnight without doing a lick of marketing on their own (a Phoenix aquarium, for example, sold 10,000 tickets in 24 hours). And Groupon collects half the money from those coupons. No wonder it became profitable after only seven months.

Now, this concept — Internet-organized group buying — has been tried many times before. Remember MobShop? Mercato? LetsBuyIt? They all worked, in principle, the same way.

But Groupon is suddenly everywhere you look — in the headlines, on Facebook, in dinnertime conversations. The company says that it operates in 175 North American cities and 500 overseas, has 54 million members and has saved them $1.6 billion so far. In fact, Groupon is the fastest-growing Web company in history, having attained a $1.5 billion value in only 18 months.

(On the other hand, not all of the dinnertime conversation about Groupon is positive. The company's SuperBowl TV ads last weekend backfired. One seemed to belittle the oppression of Tibetans under Chinese rule — "The people of Tibet are in trouble. Their very culture is in jeopardy. But they still whip up an amazing fish curry!"— and struck many viewers as juvenile and insensitive.)

Frankly, I couldn't understand the big deal about Groupon. Why is it such a superstar when so many competitors labor in obscurity?

The answer: clever psychology.

First of all, Groupon's sales staff tries to cultivate deals that suit the audience in each city. If you're in San Francisco, you get offers for Segway tours of vineyards, flying lessons and skateboarding gear. In New York City, you're more likely to see huge discounts on music lessons, theater tickets and interesting restaurants. In most cities, you're likely to spot lots of deals for spas and cosmetic surgery, which hints at the upscale female customers who constitute Groupon's biggest buyers.

In suburban Connecticut, where I live, I saw offers like "$10 for $20 worth" of Italian food at a restaurant nearby, "$15 for $30 worth of dry cleaning," and "$10 for $20 worth" of goods at Barnes & Noble. Since that's all stuff I'd buy anyway, I took the plunge. I bought the Barnes & Noble coupon and the restaurant coupon.

A few hours later, I received my coupons by e-mail. They pointed out that I could avoid printing the coupons if I used the free Groupon app for iPhone or Android phones.

At the bookstore, I picked out a couple of books totaling $23. I showed my phone to the cashier, who had been trained to enter the Groupon codes. I was the ninth person that day to cash in.

I paid the $3 overage, and that was it. I loved it. I'd just gotten $10 worth of books free. It almost felt as if I'd shoplifted.

More psychology, of course. It's absurd that I should have felt so giddy. I mean, is saving $10 such a landmark event? The last time you bought a house, a car or even a night at a hotel, did you haggle for another $10 off? You probably could have gotten it. But you didn't.

Somehow, though, in the Groupon context, it feels like a steal. There's something about the simple phrase, "$10 for $20 worth of stuff" that gets you.

Furthermore, your coupon is good for anything in the store. It's not the same as a Half-Off Sale, where the store chooses what goods to discount.

That "tipping point" business — the minimum number of takers an offer has to have before it becomes valid — is part of the psychology, too. Sure, this element was created to protect the merchant's interests. But let's face it, the tipping-point requirement adds a certain thrill to the proceedings. You're invested in the outcome.

Even the scarcity of deals — one each day — plays on your feelings. It adds to that sense of exclusivity and of serendipity.

E-mail: pogue@nytimes.com

'Psychology' behind proposed permit for Jumbo, Prewitt users

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 03:33 PM PST

Wildlife technician Jeff Mekelburg, right, gestures to an area on the map of the Julesburg Reservoir, also known as Jumbo, during a Division of Wildlife meeting Tuesday regarding proposed changes at the Jumbo and Prewitt state wildlife areas.

STERLING -- Staff from the Division of Wildlife Tuesday met with a large group of hunters, fishers and other members of the public interested in proposed changes at local state wildlife areas.

During the meeting at the Ramada Inn, the DOW employees sat with small groups who responded to the proposals, which would create a permit for using the Jumbo and Prewitt as well as ban all alcohol at the reservoirs.

The permit would be required of anyone age 19 to 64 who does not have a hunting or fishing license. At the meeting, it was recommended that the fee be about the same as a hunting or fishing permit -- it could be offered as an alternative to those licenses.

Wildlife technician Jeff Mekelburg

Staff from the Division of Wildlife heard from hunters, fishers and other members of the public about proposed changes to regulations at the Jumbo and Prewitt state wildlife areas Tuesday at the Ramada Inn. (Sara Waite/Journal-Advocate

said the reason for the proposals is that since the requirement for a habitat stamp ended in 2009, non-wildlife use of the state wildlife areas has risen. Along with that has been a rise in problems, such as overcrowding in the camping areas, noise control, and people not following the law.

"They want to bring it back into compliance with the mission," Mekelburg said.

It was explained at the meeting that the reason they are looking at individual permits to use the SWA's is psychological. People are more apt to follow the rules when their name is on a piece of paper, said Jack Wieland, district wildlife manager for Phillips and Sedgwick counties.

"You can do a lot of things if you're anonymous," Wieland said.

In general, the consensus seemed to be that all users should contribute to funding for the SWA's, which is now supported by fishing and hunting license fees. However, the majority did not want to see a complete ban of alcohol, preferring to have DOW staff or law enforcement handle any alcohol-related problems that might arise.

The public's comments will be accepted until Feb. 22, for those who were unable to attend the meeting. To provide feedback on the proposed regulation changes, please go to Proposed Changes for Jumbo Reservoir on http://wildlife.state.co.us/Fishing/ and fill out the public input form, or e-mail responses to Jennifer.churchill@state.co.us or mail to the DOW in care of Jennifer Churchill, 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO 80216.

Tom Kroening, area wildlife manager, said the district office will gather the input and send it up the chain of command. The Division of Wildlife will make a recommendation to the state Wildlife Commission, which could be the plan as proposed or could be altered based on public feedback. The commission will make the final determination on the regulation changes on March 10.

Sara Waite: (970) 526-9310; swaite@journal-advocate.com

Psychology

Thursday, February 10, 2011

“Psychology of color is helpful in choosing interior paint schemes” plus 2 more

“Psychology of color is helpful in choosing interior paint schemes” plus 2 more

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