A recent study revealed that colors have an important influence over people’s way to think and behave. The study was published on Thursday on the website of the journal Science and it was conducted by scientists at the University of British Columbia.

According to the research, the scientists tried to determine whether colors affect cognitive performance, as 600 subjects were instructed to do problem-solving tests after they had seen red or blue. The tests, implying words and images, were similar in both situations, only the background on the computer screen changed accordingly.

The researchers concluded that people who performed the cognitive tasks on red backgrounds revealed better performance of their attention and memory recall skills. They checked their spelling more thoroughly and remembered more words within the tests.

On the other hand, the blue background associated with other tests significantly increased the subjects’ imagination and creativity abilities, as they coped better with shape composition tests and tests that required them to use objects in a creative way in order to solve various tasks.

Juliet Zhu, an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia and head of the research, stated that the study certainly has many applications in group activities and creativity skills. For instance, she pointed out that the blue color should be used more when a team is in a brainstorming session. She stated that red backgrounds would help people who need enhanced performance of their memory and proofreading skills.

Researchers believe that the fact that colors affect cognitive performance in one way or another is because they influence people’s moods in the first place. As an example, the scientists revealed that a happy mood makes people to behave more creatively and less methodical.