It's a known fact that colours affect the way we behave, feel and think, and it's no surprise that our animal counterparts have the same reaction to colour! A company called Animalens Inc. of Wellesley sells red tinted contact lenses for chickens because medical studies have pointed that chickens wearing them behave differently from those that don't! They're less aggressive, eat less and produce more thereby increasing profits. The chickens are also less likely to peck at each other.

While you may have heard of "chromophobia" which is a fear of colours, melanophobia is a fear of the colour black. The term 'melano' refers to Greek for "black". The fear is said to have possibly been developed since the colour black is associated with death and mourning. While nobody can go out of their way to avoid black, people with melanophobia aren't going to adopt goth fashion anytime soon.

Most planets get their colours from the constant flow of lava on their surface or similar tectonic activity. But even though Mercury appears grey from the ground or space, it is only bare rocks. The current silvery hue is left over from the remains of volcanic activities billions of years ago. Scientists predict that a fresh flow of lava would lead to Mercury changing colour. This is why when you put the pictures of Earth's moon and Mercury side by side, you'd be hard-pressed to notice the differences.

Staring at the wall for hours in search of inspiration? Chase the blues in; literally! Scientists at the University of British Columbia conducted a research on a group of 600 individuals and found out that in a cognitive test with a blue background, the participants performed worse than their counterparts (red/neutral background) in terms of short term memory tasks. However, they were much better at tasks involving creativity and the use of imagination. So you might want to keep this in mind when choosing a new coat of paint!

When painting a toddler's room, while you may be tempted to use bright colours, it is better to use pastel shades instead. Bright colours such as red, orange, etc. have the ability to shock a baby's inner vibrations, making them restless and irritable. They can also prevent a child from sleeping well and cause them to cry. Cool, soothing tones of cream, peach, lilac or pink work best for infants, toddlers and young children, as they are associated with love and security. Even dark tones of blue and green can have negative effects.

You must consider the style of your house or bungalow before painting its interiors. If your home is done up in a Grecian style, then the walls cannot be a bright orange or purple. Houses in Greece have majorly white interiors with splashes of blue and green in places, reflecting the clear skies of the region. Sticking to an authentic colour palette will make your home look more beautiful and coupled with the right kind of furniture, it will look picture perfect!