With the range of colors teddy bears are now made in, settling for a 'plain' old brown bear is no longer the only option. From the white teddy bear to the pink one, there is a colored teddy bear for every taste.
Sir Isaac Newton, the English scientist, made a remarkable discovery in 1666: when pure white light passed through a prism, it separated into all the visible colors. Following more experiments, it was discovered that light could be combined so as to make other colors. For instance, red light mixed with yellow light makes the color orange. Some other colors also cancel each other out when mixed with each other - yellow and purple for example - with the result being white light.
While color perceptions are subject to individual interpretation, there are some colors which are universally known to mean the same thing. Warm colors are made up of red, orange, and yellow and are known to bring on feelings of both warmth and comfort as well as anger and hostility. Cool colors, on the other hand, are found on the blue side of the color scale and are made up of blue, purple, and green. These are known are calming colors but can also be associated with feelings of disinterest or sadness.
There are several ancient cultures around the world which have used color for healing - the Chinese and the Egyptians both have practiced chromotherapy or light therapy as a means of offering alternative or holistic treatment. In this regard red was used as a stimulation for the mind and body so as to increase circulation; yellow was a stimulate affecting the nerves and purifying the body; orange was used as a way of healing the lungs; to get rid of skin problems, shades of indigo were used.
Many psychologists are skeptical when it comes to the use of color therapy and believe that the effects of color have been blown out of proportion. In addition, despite the mood altering affects of color, research has shown that those feelings may only last temporarily.
If you choose to have a white teddy bear, you don't have to get caught up in what the color white means to enjoy the bear. While it's true that white is typically associated with cleanliness, purity, peace, and innocence, in some cultures it has the complete opposite meaning (eastern cultures see it as a symbol of death). Just enjoy your white teddy bear for what it is: a treasured member of your family that is your greatest comforter and friend; you don't need a color to have any of that - you just need the teddy bear.
Copyright Shelley Vassall, 2010.
No comments:
Post a Comment