Use Color to Change Your Mood

Few of us think twice about the effects that the colors around us can have on our mood and behavior. Beyond being purely aesthetic, color can add depth and meaning to our spaces, sometimes even relaying messages we may not consciously realize we’re receiving.

Color can be so powerful that branding and marketing companies choose specific palette combinations in the hopes of manipulating us to purchase their products. We have details on these and other ways color might affect our moods.

The Power of Color Psychology

We may not be conscious of it, but many experts believe we’re born wired to respond to color in certain ways. For example, research has demonstrated that colors of longer wavelengths, such as reds and oranges, cause greater nervous system stimulation than colors like greens and blues, which have much shorter wavelengths. Overall, according to one survey group, 76.5% found red to be “angry,” and 29.6% associated blue with “security.”

However, how we respond to each color may also vary depending on personal disposition. Extroverts might find highly stimulating colors invigorating and “cooler,” less stimulating colors distressing or lackluster; introverts typically find reds and oranges more overwhelming and cooler colors to be more calming. 

The Power of Suggestion

We often purchase products based on how we feel, with our attitudes driving many of our buying behaviors. Studies have shown up to 90% of our feelings about packaging or advertising could be in response to color scheme. The right colors might fool us into believing a product is exciting or effective, or they may catch our attention long enough to pique our interest.

Companies often use bright colors to portray vibrance and energy, reserving blacks, purples and beiges for products they might market as sophisticated or higher end. Restaurants that want customers to sit, relax and enjoy their meals often have interiors painted in hues of blue, whereas fast food eateries typically employ yellows to keep customers at attention and make them eat (and leave) quicker.

The colors we choose to wear may also affect our moods. Perhaps because of the sexual connotations we have with the color red, people wearing it often inflate their self-perceptions of attractiveness. Individuals who want to be perceived as intelligent or dominant may often wear red.

Likewise, we may be able to boost our feelings by choosing colors like yellow to wear when we want to feel bright and blue when we want to feel calm. And this doesn't even get into our rooms and accessories! We're probably more in control of how we feel than many have ever considered.

Our responses might vary depending on how we’re wired and the cultural influences we share, but ultimately we appear to have set responses to each end of the color spectrum. By being more aware of the connections and our personal reactions, we might be more equipped to control our moods and resulting actions.

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