The Color You Love Says More Than You Think
I have always been drawn to blue. Not the bright kind. The quiet blue of a cloudy sky before rain, or a deep lake on a windless afternoon.
我一直偏爱蓝色。不是那种亮眼的蓝。是下雨前阴云的蓝，是无风的午后，湖水深处那种沉静的蓝。
My friend loves yellow. She paints her kitchen walls with it and wears a mustard scarf even in winter. “It makes me feel full of energy.” Her eyes lit up when she said it.
我朋友喜欢黄色。她把厨房的墙刷成黄色，冬天也要围一条芥末黄的围巾。“这让我觉得浑身都充满活力。”她说这话的时候，眼睛亮亮的。
I used to think this was just a personal preference. But psychologists say this is something that is already determined the moment we are born. We don’t choose our favorite color as we grow up. The color chooses us.
我以前只当这是个人喜好。但心理学家说，这件事其实在我们出生时就已经确定了。不是我们长大后选了某个颜色，是那个颜色早就选择了我们。
Those who love warm colors — yellow, orange, red — tend to be optimists. They speak first at meetings and laugh loudly. They are not afraid to be seen.
喜欢暖色的人——黄、橙、红——往往更乐观。他们在会上最先发言，在影院里笑得很大声。他们不怕被人看见。
Those who prefer cool colors — blue, green, gray — are often quieter. They listen more than they talk. They don’t fight for the spotlight. They don’t push to the front.
喜欢冷色的人——蓝、绿、灰——通常更安静。他们听得多，说得少。不争不抢，也不爱出风头。
I’m not sure about putting people in boxes. But I do believe colors have a quiet power over us.
我不太喜欢把人往框框里归类。但我相信，颜色对我们有一种安静的影响力。
Take a bridge in London. It used to be painted black, and for some reason, more people jumped from it than any other bridge in the area. Then it was repainted green. The number of incidents dropped sharply.
就拿伦敦的一座桥来说吧，它以前是黑色的，不知什么缘故从那里跳桥的人数，比该地区任何一座桥都多。后来，人们把它重新油漆成了绿色。发生跳桥的次数即刻下降了很多。
A yellow room makes people feel more cheerful than a dark green one. A red dress can warm a gloomy winter day. And in factories with bright machines, workers make fewer mistakes and feel better.
一间黄色的房间，比深绿色的房间更让人心情愉悦。一条红裙子，足以温暖一个阴郁的冬日。而工厂里，如果机器是亮色的，工人出错的概率会更低，心情也会更好。
I think of this when I dress in the morning. On days I feel small, I reach for something warm — a soft pink sweater, an orange scarf. It doesn’t solve anything. But it helps. A little.
每天早上选衣服时，我都会想起这些。那些觉得自己很渺小的日子里，我会伸手去拿一件暖色的衣服——一件柔软的粉毛衣，或者一条橙色围巾。它解决不了什么问题。但真的有点用。哪怕只是一点点。
Maybe colors don’t change who we are. But they remind us of who we want to be.
也许颜色并不能改变我们是谁。但它们能提醒我们，我们想成为谁。
And sometimes, that is enough.
有时候，这就足够了。
本期词汇
drawn to —— 被吸引
full of energy —— 充满活力
determined the moment we are born —— 出生时就已确定
the color chooses us —— 颜色选择了我们
fight for the spotlight —— 争抢风头
push to the front —— 往前挤、出风头
for some reason —— 不知什么缘故
the number of incidents —— 发生的次数
feel small —— 觉得自己渺小
that is enough —— 这就够了
你最喜欢什么颜色呢？你觉得颜色和性格有关系吗？欢迎在评论区分享你的“颜色故事”。
喜欢的话，别忘了点赞、转发 哦~🎨