Color Theory

Do you feel energized when you see red? Does the color blue make you feel calm and relaxed? Artists and interior designers have long believed that color can dramatically affect moods, feelings, and emotions. "Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions," the artist Pablo Picasso once remarked. 

Color is a powerful communication tool and can be used to signal action, influence mood, and even influence physiological reactions. Certain colors have been associated with physiological changes, including increased blood pressure, increased metabolism, and eyestrain.

"It's amazing how colors can truly impact our mood and influence our behavior," says Rachel Goldman PhD.

"Take a moment to think about a familiar space to you, is there a color that stands out about that space? Think about your clothes and how different colored clothing makes you feel when you wear them. Perhaps the next time you are feeling kind of blah, think about this and see if your mood shifts by wearing a different color. Many times, it's the small things that can have the largest impact."  

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Color Psychology: Does It Affect How You Feel?
How color impacts moods, feelings, and behaviors

Color psychology is the study of how different colors affect human mood and behavior. It explores how colors can influence emotional responses, as well as how responses to color are affected by factors such as age and cultural background.

Different topics that are of interest in this area include:

• The meanings of colors

• How colors impact physiological responses

• Emotional reactions to color

• Factors that impact color preferences

• Cultural differences in the meanings and associations of different colors

• Whether colors can impact mental health

• How colors can influence behaviors

• Ways that colors can be utilized to promote well-being

• How colors can be used to improve safety and design more optimal home and work environments

Much of the evidence in this emerging area is anecdotal at best, but researchers and experts have made a few important discoveries and observations about the psychology of color and its effect on moods, feelings, and behaviors.

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Color Psychology: Does It Affect How You Feel?
How color impacts moods, feelings, and behaviors

The scientific exploration of color psychology is relatively new, but people have long been interested in the nature and impact of color. In ancient cultures, colors were often used to treat different conditions and influence emotions. They also played a role in different spiritual practices.

Why is color such a powerful force in our lives? What effects can it have on our bodies and minds? While perceptions of color are somewhat subjective, some color effects have universal meanings.

Colors in the red area of the color spectrum are known as warm colors and include red, orange, and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility.

Colors on the blue side of the spectrum are known as cool colors and include blue, purple, and green. These colors are often described as calm, but can also call to mind feelings of sadness or indifference.

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Color Psychology: Does It Affect How You Feel?
The Psychological Effects of Color

Symbolic Color Meanings

Symbolic meanings that are often associated with different colors:1

• Red: Passion, excitement, love

• Pink: Soft, reserved, earthy

• Purple: Mysterious, noble, glamorous

• Blue: Wisdom, hope, reason, peace

• Green: Nature, growth, freshness

• Yellow: Hope, joy, danger

• Orange: Warmth, kindness, joy

• White: Truth, indifference

• Black: Noble, mysterious, cold

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Color Psychology: Does It Affect How You Feel?
The Psychological Effects of Color