“He looks red.” “I’m feeling blue.” “She was green.” How often have you heard these expressions? They are actually fairly common. And they show how color relates to our emotions.

  Actually, color does have physical effect on the human body. It can influence the pituitary gland (脑下垂体), which helps control hormone production. Hormones can affect our moods, so it makes sense that color would, too. But it can also be used to change our moods.

  How do colors relate to moods and emotions?

  Red is all about energy, but it can also indicate anger.

  Orange is simulating, good for times when we just can’t seem to get started with something. It may be useful for reducing stress.

  Yellow is good for mental activities like reasoning and analysis. It can promote self—confidence and is helpful in situations when you need to be more optimistic.

  Green tends to make most people think of nature, since so much of the natural world is green. It’s about connections—with nature, or with our fellow humans. It’s also good for general stress, since it can help balance emotions.

  Blue is relaxing. It can stimulate creativity. Light blue can mean quiet, and dark blue can be depressing.

  White is definitely about peace. But it’s also associate with purity.

  How can you use colors to change your mood? Well, clothing is the most obvious choice. What you wear not only helps you feel a certain way, but also can give a strong impression about you to others—especially people you have never met.

  But you don’t have to change everything about your appearance. Sometimes a cap, a tie or a scarf, in a particular color will have the desired effect—without being too noticeable to others.

Some people collect stamps. Other people collect works of art or musical instruments. But a man in the American state of Maryland collects secrets.

For the past 10 years, people have been sending Frank Warren postcards and other objects with secrets written on them. He now has a million secrets. “It’s a drawing of a lift. And the secret says: ‘I feel guilty when I take lifts for one floor, so I limp(跛行) when I get out.’” Frank said.

Ten years ago, Mr. Warren created an art project called PostSecret. People then began to send him postcards, other objects and emails telling their secrets. Every Sunday, he chooses 10 secrets and puts them on the website.

Mr. Warren says he created PostSecret so people could share their secrets in a safe place. “I was struggling with secrets in my own life. And it was by creating this safe place where others could share their secrets with me, I think that space was something I needed just as much as they did.”

He has published six books full of the secrets whichpeople have shared with him. One secret in each book is his. Eric Perry delivers mail for the U.S. Postal Service. He has brought thousands of secrets to Frank’s home over the past three years. “I have a couple of the books that Frank’s given me and I’ve read them all and my family has read them all and it’s wild!”

The project itself was once one of Frank’s secrets. His wife Jan didn’t know exactly what he was doing until the first book was published. The publisher told him that the address was going to be on the book, and he refused. However, the address was there just because of the contract between them. Actually Warren wasn’t very happy about that.

Some people tell Frank of their secret desire to kill themselves. So he and the PostSecret community have raised more than $1 million to help prevent suicides（自杀）.

Suppose you’re in a rush, feeling tired, not paying attention to your screen, and you send an email that could get you in trouble.

Realization will probably set in seconds after you’ve clicked “send”. You freeze in horrors and burn with shame.

What to do? Here are four common email accidents, and how to recover.

Clicking “send” too soon

Don’t waste your time trying to find out if the receivers have read it yet. Write another email as swiftly as you can and send it with a brief explaining that this is the correct version and the previous version should be ignored.

Writing the wrong time

The sooner you notice, the better. Respond quickly and briefly, apologizing for your mistake. Keep the tone measured: don’t handle it too lightly, as people can be offended(冒犯), especially if your error suggests a misunderstanding of their culture(I.e. incorrect ordering of Chinese names).

Clicking “reply all” unintentionally(无意)

You accidentally reveal(透露)to the entire company what menu choices you would prefer at the staff Christmas dinner, or what holiday you’d like to take. In this case, the best solution is to send a quick, light-hearted apology to explain your awkwardness. But it can quickly rise to something worse, when everyone starts hitting “reply all” to join in a long and unpleasant conversation. In this instance, step away from your keyboard to allow everyone to calm down.

Sending an offensive(冒犯的) message to its subject

The most awkward email mistake is usually committed(犯) in anger. You write an unkind message about someone, intending to send it to a friend, but accidentally send it to the person you’re discussing. In that case, ask to speak in person as soon as possible and say sorry. Explain your frustrations calmly and sensibly—see it as an opportunity to clear up any difficulties you may have with this person.