Behavior: Pink Clink

A color that soothes inmates

Green is such a calming color that many school walls are painted “educational green” to reduce the restlessness of students. Now educational green may have to yield to an even more soothing tint: “jailhouse pink.” According to Alexander Schauss, director of biosocial research at City College in Tacoma, Wash., the sight of the color pink changes the secretion of hormones, thus reducing aggressiveness. A jail commander in San Jose, Calif., who has tested the theory says it works—for a while. Lieut. Paul Becker found that prisoners were less hostile for the first 15 minutes in a cell that had been painted pink. But after 20 minutes, the hostility grew, and after three hours some of the men started to tear the paint off the walls. Conclusion: pink may be best for inmates whose sentences range from ten to 15 minutes.