How Do Colors Affect Mood and Emotions?

Do you feel anxious in the yellow room? Does blue make you feel calm and relaxed? For a long time, artists and interior designers have believed that color can greatly affect mood, feeling and mood. The artist Pablo Picasso once commented: “Color, like a feature, changes with the change of mood.”

Color is a powerful communication tool that can be used to signal actions, affect emotions, and even affect physiological reactions. Certain colors are linked to increased blood pressure, increased metabolism, and eye fatigue. So how does color work? How do people think color affects mental health? Here, you will how different colors affect mood and emotions.

What Is Color Psychology?

In 1666, the British scientist Sir Isaac Newton discovered that when pure white light passes through a prism, it breaks down into all visible colors. Newton also discovered that each color consists of only one wavelength and cannot be further separated into other colors.

Other experiments have shown that light can combine to form other colors. For example, mixing red light with yellow light produces orange. Certain colors (such as green and magenta) cancel each other out when mixed, resulting in white light. If you have ever painted, you may have noticed how to mix certain colors to create other colors.

Researchers Andrew Elliot and Markus Maier pointed out: “Given the popularity of color, people expect color psychology to become a well-developed field.” “Surprisingly. Yes, so far, there have been few theoretical or empirical studies on the effects of color on mental functions, and the work that has been done is mainly based on practical considerations rather than scientific rigor.”

Although there is a general lack of research in this area, the concept of color psychology has become a hot topic in the fields of marketing, art, and design. Most of the evidence in this emerging field is anecdotal at best, but researchers and experts have made some important discoveries and observations about the psychology of color and its effects on emotions, feelings, and behavior.

Your perception of color is usually very personal and rooted in your own experience or culture. For example, although many Western countries use white to represent purity and innocence, it is regarded as a symbol of mourning in many Eastern countries.

Different Colors Affect Mood and Emotions Differently

The influence of different colors on mood and emotions depends to a large extent on the brightness, shadow, hue or tone of the color, and whether it is a cool or warm tone. Let’s take a look at some of the possible effects of color on your feelings:

1. Warm Colors Effect on Mood

Red, orange and yellow is juxtaposed on the steering wheel, all warm colors. Warm colors often evoke feelings of happiness, optimism, and vitality. However, yellow, red, and orange can also have the effect of drawing attention to a hazard or prompting you to take action (think stop signs, hazard warnings, and barrier tape). Red can also increase people’s appetites.

2. Cool Colors Effect on Mood

Cool colors include green, blue, and purple. Cool colors are usually calming and relaxing, but they can also express sadness. Purple is often used to stimulate creativity because it is a mixture of blue (calm) and red (strong). If the company wants to show health, beauty or safety, please add these colors.

3. Happy Colors Effect on Mood

Happy colors are warm, bright colors such as yellow, orange, pink, and red. Soft colors such as peach, light pink or lavender can also stimulate your mood. The brighter and lighter the color, it will bring you a happier and more optimistic feeling. Another way that colors can create happy emotions is to combine various primary and secondary colors to obtain a colorful youthful effect.

4. Sad Colors Effect on Mood

The colors of sadness are dark and pastel. Gray is a typical sad color, but cool, dark, soft colors like blue, green, or neutral colours like brown or beige can have similar effects on feelings and moods, depending on how they are used. In Western culture, black is generally considered the color of mourning, while in some East Asian countries it is white.

5. Calming Colors Effect on Mood

Cool colors like blue and green can make you feel calm. Soft colors and particularly cool light blue, lavender and mint colors have a calming and relaxing effect. Neutralcolors like white, beige, and gray can also make you feel calm. The fewer colors you combine and the simpler and more stylish the design, the calmer you will feel.

6. Energizing Colors Effect on Mood

Strong, bright colors and neon colors can have a powerful influence on mood. Colors such as bright red, bright yellow, and neon green can make you feel more energetic and alert, but they can also irritate your eyes. These colors will catch your attention and stand out from the surrounding environment. Strong, highly pigmented colors, such as royal blue, turquoise, magenta, and emerald green, can also produce uplifting effects, leaving you feeling refreshed and energetic.

Modern Research on Color Psychology

Most psychologists are skeptical of color therapy, pointing out that the hypothetical effects of color are often greatly exaggerated. Colors also have different meanings in different cultures.

Studies have shown that in many cases, the fading effect may only be temporary. The blue room may feel calm at first, but this effect will disappear in a short time.

However, existing research has found that color can impact people in a variety of surprising ways:

1. It has been reported that warm plastic pills are more effective than cold plastic pills in a study. [1]
2. Blue colored street lights can lead to reducing crimes according to the evidence of the anecdote.
3. Red can be useful during exercise activities according to researchers since people react with faster speed and strength.
4. Black uniforms are likely to receive penalties. In addition, the historical data of the sports team and the research that was dressed according to the studio of clothing was likely to associate a player with a black uniform and negative qualities. [2]

Final Words

Now that you understand how colors affect mood and emotions, you should note that colors can be subjective. That depends on the viewer’s experience or cultural differences, what can make one person likeable may upset another.

Colors are not universally fully agreed upon and may appeal to individual countries different. However, color and emotion are closely related no matter what, so you should always consider their impact when using color. Knowing how colors and emotions are related, you can choose colours accordingly and get the results you want.