Do colours have a significant effect on human behaviour?

This might seem like a weird question but this got me thinking as of late as I read about 2 cases, in 2 different countries, whereby colours are used in the hope of reducing the occurrences of violence.

First case that I read about occurred in a town in India, known for its high rate of crime, particularly murders and armed robberies, where the local authorities, in the hope of lowering the crime rate, have actually chosen to paint most of its buildings in hues of pink.

The reason for the choice of this rather unconventional colour, as claimed by the authorities, was that pink has a soothing effect on people and makes people happy, and it was hoped that with this effect, it will contribute to the lowering of the crime rate.

Second case that I read about took place in a town in the United Kingdom, whose name I can't really remember. The authorities there, citing similar reasons as mentioned in the first, have decided to install pink street lamps in public places where the probability of violent crimes are high, like in parks.

Hmm.

Does pink in particular really have such a soothing effect on people, to the extent that it might actually turn them into peace-loving, docile creatures?

I was starting to have doubts about that when one day, while driving along the PIE, I found myself alongside a trailer, and as you might have guessed, it was painted in pink. Somehow or other, that colour kind of made that monster of a vehicle look less menacing, to the extent of even being cute.

So it does have an effect, albeit seemingly minor. Probably makes me less prone to committing an act of road rage should that 18-wheeler suddenly cut into my lane without signalling.

Heh.