Can The Color Blue Really Make You Memorize Better?
Photo by David Pennington on Unsplash
Have you ever heard someone tell you to take your notes in blue ink because it will help you memorize them better? Maybe you don’t believe it entirely, but you take notes in blue for a big final exam, so as to not take the risk.
Whether or not the statement is a fact or myth, most people do take their notes in blue ink... just in case. But there may be some science behind color coding your notes for memory performance.
Black Ink
Everything that we see is in black ink—everything from the text you’re reading right now, the paragraphs in your school textbooks and novels, and even on social media posts. Text in black ink is our default; it’s normal.
Because of that, our brains are not stimulated. Just think about it: if you were to pass by a written sign, both the same size, but one was written in neon pink and the other in black, you’re more likely to remember the neon pink sign.
Our brains are immediately attracted to things outside of the ordinary. So if you’re taking general notes, black ink is fine, but opt for other colors when writing down more important information.
Red Ink
In some cultures, writing your name in red ink is a big no-no. The color red is often associated with danger (like blood or stop signs), or mistakes (like the red marks we often get on our test papers).
According to a study conducted in 2009 at the University of British Columbia, the color red “boosted performance on detail-oriented tasks such as memory retrieval and proofreading by as much as 31 percent compared to blue.”
We are so used to seeing red in situations where we have to be cautious and wary, so that when we see our notes in red, it increases our attention level, and thereby increasing the chances of retaining that information for a longer period of time.
Blue Ink
Blue is the color of the sky and the ocean... it emotes a feeling of calm and dependence. But most importantly, it’s a different color from our default black texts.
According to the same study by UBC, the color blue enhances cognitive performance when doing creative tasks like brainstorming. However, the study found that red ink is much more beneficial when doing detail oriented tasks.
Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash
Color Coding Your Notes for Memory Retention
No one ink color may help you memorize something better or faster, but it can be good to know that they may help.
Using black ink alone in all your notes is probably not the best stimulating for your brain. Using various colors will help you retain some information better than others, because it’s been set apart from the normal black text. So, take strategic color-coded notes the next time you have a big test coming up, and see if it helps.
💡 Some Tips:
Make sure each color has a specific function
Don’t use too many colors
Use easy to read colors
Creative Mind Mapping
Color coding your notes also helps stimulate the creative side of your brain. The different colors in your notes can help you visualize the information: visually see the themes, main ideas, and connection within your notes.
For example, you’re working through several chapters or sections in a textbook, but you begin to see common themes running through the different sections. Writing those same themes in the same color, even though they are found in different chapters, creates visual connections in your brain. You can make topics more exciting by seeing these connections through colors, rather than the chronological order your textbook may present the subject in.
Laptops and iPads to take notes digitally, are making it so much easier and more convenient to personalize any colors and styles to your liking. You can undo things, re-color certain words, and delete whole paragraphs in just seconds. So take advantage of it. Find a system that works for you, and stick with it!
It’s also important to note that just because the colors red and blue may be more stimulating for your brain than black, if you begin taking all your notes in blue or red, that color will become your default, which then decreases the effectiveness on memory retention.
