Six Ways Color Can Influence Your Mood

Are you trying to decide which color to paint your interior walls or your home? Colors can definitely influence how you’re feeling. If you’ve ever been inside a home that felt uncomfortable to you, it might’ve been because the color or shade of color unnerved you. We’ve written about our favorite colors of the year before: Ten Best Colors of the Year 2023.

Blue has a calming effect

Blue is known to have a calming and soothing effect on the mind and body. It can help reduce stress and anxiety and promote feelings of peace and tranquility. And in nature, of course, the color blue reminds of us of the sea and the sky. There are many shades of blue–light shades of blue tend to calm the mind and aid in focus. Stronger shades of blue can be stimulating. Many brands love to use the color blue (including us, if you’ve seen our logo), and blue can denote trustworthiness.

Green is calming and balancing

Green is associated with nature and is often associated with feelings of calmness, balance and harmony. It can also improve focus and concentration. Green can remind you of growth and springtime. There is also a certain security associated with green. Maybe that’s why most money is green? This study on the color green from the National Library of Medicine asserts that “Study 1 revealed that walking in a green environment induced a significant reduction in heart rate values as compared to the red and white conditions although no differences in gait speed were found. This corroborates the calming and relaxing effect of green on the human organism.”

Yellow is a happy color

Yellow is known to evoke feelings of happiness, joy, and optimism. It can also help improve mood and energy levels. In the springtime, yellow reminds us of daffodils and of course sunshine. Yellow is especially good for kitchen walls, although HGTV outlines other colors you can use in their article Best Colors to Paint a Kitchen.

Red is for passion and excitement

Red is a powerful color that is associated with energy, passion and excitement. It can also increase heart rate and blood pressure and create feelings of anxiety. Think about where you see the color red in your daily life–stop signs, am i right? And the phrase “seeing red” means being angry! You wave a red flag in front of a bull, and red is the color of blood. This fascinating article from Google Arts and Culture begins, The Secret History of the Color Red “Did you know that red is the first color that humans perceive, after black and white? It’s the color that babies see first before any other, and the first that those suffering from temporary color blindness after a brain injury start to see again.”

Purple is associated with luxury, creativity, and wisdom

Purple can also evoke feelings of calmness and serenity. Lighter shades of purple are associated with romantic energies, while darker shades can bring on sadness. Purple flowers are often uplifting and fragrant, which can make you happy–unless you’re allergic!

Which color is best for you? It depends!

It’s important to note that color perception and associations are personal and cultural, so the effects of colors on mood may vary from person to person. Also, colors can have different meanings and evoke different emotions depending on the context and the combination of colors used.