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Color Psychology: How Color Affects Your Emotions And Why

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If you walk into a room or open a webpage, your brain will process the colors1https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131219102759.htm before any words or shapes. We are walking through a world of color, receiving a constant subconscious stream of emotional signals and information. 

In this post, you’ll learn how to decode how different colors impact you and learn to strategically use colors in your wardrobe, home, and business to your advantage.

What is Color Psychology?

Color psychology is the study of how different colors impact your emotions and behavior. It’s a field that affects us daily. For example, the color of your shirt can affect both your mood and how others might perceive you.

What color should you wear on a date versus a job interview? What colors should you put in your marketing campaign? How is the color of your home affecting you?

Read on to answer all these questions and learn how to optimize your usage of colors in your own life.

And watch our video below to learn how color choices affect our behavior!

How Different Colors Affect You

We have learned since Goethe’s days that each color impacts you based on a combination of three things:

  • The innate psychology of that color shared across cultures2https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797620948810 (likely derived from how the color appears in nature). 
  • The cultural associations of that color. For example, In America, green often means luck, and in China, wearing a “green hat3https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2019/07/a-cuckolds-cap/” implies infidelity.
  • Your personal connection to colors. For example, if you love your grandparents and the inside of their house was painted orange throughout your childhood, you may have a pleasant personal association with the color.

So there is no exact science for each color, but we can make some guesses based on human universals. Below are some of the psychological and cultural qualities of each color.

The psychological and cultural qualities of each color summed up in a visual chart, which is the basis of color psychology.

How You Can Apply Color Psychology to Your Life

Knowing the essential quality of each color is a great start. But now, let’s dive deeper to learn how to apply what you know about the colors.

The color psychology of what to wear

The colors you choose for your outfit each day will affect your mood, behavior, and how others perceive you. Below is a cheat sheet of when to wear each color.

Blue

This is the color of truth and wisdom. It also has a calming effect linked to lowered blood pressure and heart rate4https://www.travelodge.co.uk/press-centre/press-releases/SECRET-GOOD-NIGHT%E2%80%99S-SLUMBER-SLEEP-BLUE-BEDROOM. It’s also the most stable color. 

Blue is the reliable sky and the calming sea. Blue is a great color to counteract the tension if you want to center yourself or provide a balancing presence for any social drama.

Blue is also a crowd-pleaser since it is most frequently voted as people’s favorite color.

A circle graph showing people's favorite colors (green, orange, purple, red, yellow, black, grey, brown, white. blue) with blue being the most popular at 42%. This helps us understand color psychology.

Source

Watch our video below to learn more about the power of the color blue!

Red

This is the color of aggression and passion—great for a first date but not for the office. Seeing red also increases your strength5https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fa0022599, metabolism, and blood pressure, which is why it’s used for stop signs and fire engines. 

People across cultures associate red with love2https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797620948810. And sex! People perceive females as more sexually attractive6https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20942361/ when they wear red blush and lipstick. These makeup styles emulate the body’s reaction to sexual arousal, cardiac health, and high estrogen levels. 

Yellow

The color of the sun is the happiest of all colors and stimulates joy and optimism. Yellow also grabs attention, which makes it great for traffic signs. 

Yellow clothes are an excellent option for casual summerwear; however, yellow is considered an unstable color, so it can be over-energizing for the office and make the wearer look weak.

Green

This color denotes freshness, safety, and harmony. Green is restful on the eyes and produces the least amount of eyestrain, reminding people of leaves and trees. Green is always a solid clothing choice if you’d like to create a grounding and restorative vibe. 

It’s also associated with money, luck, and the “go” signal for a traffic light—all great characteristics in the workplace. 

Brown

Like the trunk of a tree, brown conjures up feelings of strength and stability. But at the same time, brown can seem boring and safe. It’s a great color to wear if you want to feel sturdy and play it safe, but it can be hard to stand out in brown.

Brown is also seen as masculine. Wearing a chocolate brown suit can give you credibility if you’re a woman in a predominantly male workplace.

Orange

Orange evokes stimulation, vibrancy, and enthusiasm. Orange is the color of fire, citrus fruit, and safety vests. 

Orange is also the color of autumn—pumpkins, squash, and fall leaves, and can be associated with melancholy. Though more peachy shades of orange conjure up the warmth.

It’s not as aggressive as red but can catch attention, so while a good color for sporty garb, it’s best to wear it in moderation.

Orange is also not a crowd favorite and is most commonly marked as people’s least favorite color.

A circle graph showing people's least favorite colors (green, orange, purple, red, yellow, black, grey, blue, brown, white) with orange being the most popular at 30%. This helps us understand color psychology.

Source

Purple

Purple reminds people of royalty and luxury. Because it’s a color not often found in nature, only royalty used to be able to afford purple dye7https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/science/the-color-of-royalty-bestowed-by-science-and-snails.html.

Statistically, males tend to avoid wearing8https://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/preferences.html purple, so it has stronger gendered connotations than most colors.

It’s also the color of magic. The unnaturalness can make purple seem either mysterious or artificial. A purple scarf, tie, or purse can be a nice, subtle addition to any outfit, giving some extra pzazz and mystique.

Pink

We associate pink with youth, innocence, and childhood sweetness. It can also represent femininity, nurturance, and softness. In nature, we find pink color in flowers.

Pink is Barbie and Victoria’s Secret, creating an unlikely pair out of youthful innocence and romance. A pink feminine garment can help you feel either sweet or seductive.

Hot pink has different associations and can feel bold, exciting, and powerful. A hot pink accessory makes a great statement piece to add flare to your outfit.

White

This color is associated with cleanliness, perfection, freshness, and simplicity. 

White is always a safe choice for a shirt or scarf. Wearing all white is a statement of purity, which can have a hopeful feeling but is not best for the workplace.

Black

This power color can convey feelings of mystery and seriousness. It is also considered elegant and has a thinning effect. (And who doesn’t love that?) Black can mean authority and prestige, so if you want to be treated seriously, the typical black suit with a splash of green or blue works wonders.

Black is also associated with sadness2https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797620948810 and solemnity. The color of death, funerals, and ravens. It’s the color worn in the thick of a depressed, cloudy winter when life feels devoid of color. It’s the color championed by goths, punk rockers, and metalheads, and it carries a hint of angst, pain, and cynicism. When you feel in touch with your darker corners, black can be a solid option to express yourself.

Sports teams that wear black receive the most penalties9https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.54.1.74 due to how the referees perceive them and how they perceive themselves. Black makes an excellent color for a villain. And if you want to channel your inner badass, donning a black leather jacket is a good start.

Gray

Gray is neutral and balanced. It’s the color of concrete and can give an urban aesthetic.

But gray is also lifeless, depressed, and blah. It can imply that people are passive, uninvolved, and lack energy. If you like wearing gray, pairing it with a brighter color, such as blue, can help offset the negative connotations.

Color psychology and home design

Can you guess why 77% of chain restaurants10https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1170&context=honors have the color red in their logo? 

As a hint, it’s not to make you feel calm and satiated. Actually, the color red can quicken breathing, increase heart rate, and make you hungrier.

Colors impact our moods and our physiological responses. The color of a room dictates the ambiance it casts.

When we think about interior design and what color to make each room, the choices matter. 

Bedroom

To optimize your sleep, go for a blue bedroom.

A study of 2,000 homes found that people who sleep in blue rooms get more sleep4https://www.travelodge.co.uk/press-centre/press-releases/SECRET-GOOD-NIGHT%E2%80%99S-SLUMBER-SLEEP-BLUE-BEDROOM than in other colored rooms. Here’s how several color bedrooms fared in average hours of sleep per night:

  • Blue—7 hours 52 minutes
  • Yellow—7 hours 40 minutes
  • Green—7 hours 36 minutes
  • Silver—7 hours 33 minutes
  • Orange—7 hours 28 minutes
  • Gray–6 hours 12 minutes
  • Brown—6 hours 5 minutes
  • Purple—5 hours 56 minutes
An image of a room with a large bed and dark blue walls, which is the visual representation of a study that found people who sleep in blue rooms get more sleep than in other colored rooms. This information comes from color psychology.

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Children’s room

Green is an excellent pick to support your child’s learning and focus.

This study showed that when reading through a green filter11https://neurosciencenews.com/color-filter-dyslexia-10052/, dyslexic kids were able to read faster. 

Green is the color of nature and is inherently soothing and restorative. This research study showed that when given a task that required a steady attention span, participants performed notably better12https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494415000328 when taking short breaks to look at green roofs versus concrete roofs.

An image of a brightly colored green room which represents the study that showed that when given a task that required a steady attention span, participants performed notably better when taking short breaks to look at green roofs versus concrete roofs. This is an example of color psychology.

Source

Living room

There are many ways to design a living room, but one good pick is soft yellow.

Color expert Amy Wax explains in this interview, “Sweet yellows can improve one’s mood…Using a softer yellow creates a feeling in the space that is sunny, warm, and spirited.”

An image of a living room with yellow colored walls that describe the quote from Amy Wax that said "Sweet yellows can improve one’s mood…Using a softer yellow creates a feeling in the space that is sunny, warm, and spirited." This is an example of color psychology.

Source

Wax also recommends gray or beige if you want a “quieter color palette” that you can spruce up with accent colors. If you want a spark of passion, you can use a red pillow, or for a wave of cool you add a blue painting.

Exercise room

Because orange is known to be stimulating, revitalizing, and enthusiastic, it’s an excellent pick for a workout room. As a bonus, some cultures believe the color orange promotes lung health13https://www.color-meanings.com/7-best-colors-healing/.

Office

For an office, opt for blue and green. In 1999, researchers at Creighton University found that colors significantly influence employees’ emotions and efficiency. Workers in blue offices felt the most centered, calm, and hopeful toward their work. 

Since blue can lower heart rates and green reduces anxiety and is associated with money, combining blue and green is the best combo for your productive zone.

If you’d like more inspiration, here’s an article exploring more office decor ideas. 

Color psychology and mental health

For folks interested in personal development, there is a branch of healing called chromotherapy, also known as color therapy. 

Here’s how WebMD14https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-is-color-psychology describes it: “Every color on the visible light spectrum has a unique wavelength and vibration. These wavelengths produce electrical impulses or fields of energy that affect the human body.” In other words, being in the presence of particular colors can improve our mental and physiological health.

One interesting note is that color therapy can work even if your eyes are shut, as the colored light wavelengths can impact you through your skin15https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1297510/.

One such example of this phenomenon is the use of blue-green lights on the skin of babies with pre-natal jaundice16https://med.stanford.edu/newborns/professional-education/jaundice-and-phototherapy/faqs-about-phototherapy.html, which helps purify the baby’s blood and heal their jaundice.

An image of a baby in a blue-green light that has pre-natal jaundice, which helps purify the baby’s blood and heal their jaundice. This shows how color psychology affect our health even when our eyes are shut.

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Color therapy has also proven effective17https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S096522991930915X?via%3Dihub in helping with insomnia, diabetes, hyperacidity, psychiatric illnesses, dengue fever, hypertension, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), immunity, cutaneous wound healing, chronic joint disorders, and inflammation.

Here are a few specific ways you can harness the power of color for your own well-being.

Blue lights and work

Studies18https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4989256/#:~:text=Exposure%20to%20blue%20light%20in,delay%20of%20the%20circadian%20rhythm. have shown that when blue-enriched light replaced white lights in an office setting for four weeks, participants saw an increase in alertness, performance, mood, and concentration.

If you want to improve your focus, look to blue. Blue walls, blue light, blue furniture.

Green glasses and anxiety

Dr. Padma Gulur of Duke University gave different colored eyeglasses19https://www.asahq.org/about-asa/newsroom/news-releases/2022/10/green-eyeglasses-reduce-pain-related-anxiety-in-fibromyalgia-patients-study-shows to patients undergoing extreme pain—the glasses were clear, blue, and green.

The clear and blue glasses did not affect the patient’s recovery. And while the green glasses didn’t reduce the patient’s pain, they were four times more likely to reduce anxiety in the patients. Most patients who wore the green eyeglasses for the experiment asked to keep them!

If you struggle with anxiety, especially as it relates to physical pain, consider incorporating green into your life.

Pink softens aggression

This study20https://isom.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/JOM_1979_08_4_01_Tranquilizing_Effect_of_Color_Reduces_Aggressive-.pdf showed pink to decrease muscle strength and aggression. A test subject would hold their arms out straight, while a lab-assistant of equal strength would push the subject’s arms down. The subject lost strength when there was a bright pink piece of paper in front of the subject’s eyes. This remained true compared to subjects with no paper to look at as well as subjects with blue paper to look at. These results were consistent for 151/153 test subjects.

Further, another research team painted a prison holding-cell pink20https://isom.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/JOM_1979_08_4_01_Tranquilizing_Effect_of_Color_Reduces_Aggressive-.pdf. Data showed that inmate violence decreased when they were in the pink room for 15 minutes, and the calming effects lasted for 30 minutes after they left the room.

If you’d like to induce calm and lessen aggression, then think about pink.

An image of a pink hallway which is supposed to induce calm and lesson aggression, according to color psychology.

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Red light and sleep

Different color lights, especially blue lights, can impact your melatonin release and circadian rhythms, which can screw up your sleep.

But this study suggests21https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3499892/ that if you want to use light at night, then the best color is red.

If you struggle to fall or stay asleep, consider purchasing a color-changing lightbulb and switching it to red at night or even using a red headlamp.

An image of a man in a tent using a red headlamp which can impact your melatonin release and circadian rhythms. This is an example of color psychology.

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Colors and pills

Researchers tested how effective different types of pills22https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/10/4/82 were, depending on the color of the pill.

By now, you should not be surprised that the color did make a difference! Here’s what they found:

  • When the pill was a stimulant, its effects were more pronounced when the pill was red.
  • White pills were the most effective pain relievers.
  • For anti-anxiety pills, blue and white had the most significant effect.
  • And for hallucinogens, red and yellow pills caused the most potent experience.

In this case, it’s likely that the placebo effect is at play and that people’s perceptions of what colors of drugs should be impacted the efficacy of those drugs.

The next time you invest in vitamins or anti-inflammatories, consider that the color of the pill makes a difference.

Color psychology for marketing and branding

When people make snap decisions about purchasing a product, up to 90% of their product assessment is based on color. Color also increases brand recognition by 80%.

Further, research shows23https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/00251740610673332/full/html that seeing specific colors can “increase or decrease appetite, enhance mood, calm down customers, and reduce [the] perception of waiting time.”

So if you are creating a brand, e-commerce marketing campaign, or product, your chosen color scheme is significant.

There are a few key considerations when considering colors for your brand, product, or marketing.

And if you’d like additional resources on building your business and setting the right goals, you can check out this course.

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Discounted pricing

If you are running a sale, use red for pricing. As marketing expert Sarah Levinger writes: “Thanks to McDonald’s, Amazon, & the human brain, consumers have been trained to understand that red = discount. Defaulting red will draw your customer’s eye & help them make decisions faster.”

An image showing three of the same items for sale (a toaster) but one has a green check mark and two have a red x in the center of the image. This is showing that consumers have been trained to understand that red = discount. Defaulting to red will draw a customer's eye & help them make decisions faster. This is an example of color psychology.

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Congruity

Research shows that one of the most critical aspects of a logo or brand image color is how appropriate the colors seem24https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1470593106061263, given the product/service and its market. 

If you sell water bottles, and your brand coloring is yellow (with no blue), this may appear off to consumers, given the branding zeitgeist of the water bottle market.

An image of 8 blue water bottles that demonstrates congruity in marketing.  If you sell water bottles, and your brand coloring is yellow (with no blue), this may appear off to consumers, given the branding zeitgeist of the water bottle market. This is an example of color psychology.

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Stand out from the crowd

Your brain is likelier to notice and remember stimuli that stand out in isolation. This is called the Von Restorff Effect. Practically speaking, it means that the red tomato below stands out from the green bunch.

An image of a bunch of green tomatoes with one red tomato that stands out. This illustrates how your brain is likelier to notice and remember stimuli that stand out in isolation. This is an example of color psychology.

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And you’re also more likely to remember the products or brands whose colors stand out in isolation.

As another example, which Heavy Metal band do you notice first in the following lineup?

A list of heavy metal bands in black and white that all look relatively the same except for the one in color. This is an example of color psychology and how you can use it to stand out from the crowd.

Source

The balancing act for brands then becomes how to seem congruous with their customers’ expectations while standing out from the crowd.

Brands and associations

Smart brands pick their colors based on color psychology and pre-existing cultural associations. But once a brand builds an audience, its logo’s color scheme begins to inform the public’s perception of those colors.

For example, when McDonald’s launched its logo years ago, they understood that the color evoked joy and optimism. But now, if you brand your logo yellow, you are still accessing the joy and optimism psychologically linked to the color. Still, you are also invoking all of the associations that McDonald’s has bled into the color yellow.

So when thinking about how to color your brand, it’s worth considering which major brands use which colors because those brands lay dormant in the associative recesses of the client’s subconscious. Check out the chart below to see some of the major brand associations of each color.

A colorful chart with major brand associations of each color. When thinking about how to color your brand and color psychology, it’s worth considering which major brands use which colors because those brands lay dormant in the associative recesses of the client’s subconscious.

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User testing

Years ago, Google tested over 40 shades of blue to determine the best text font color to use on the results page. This decision alone increased their yearly ad revenue25https://www.businessinsider.com/google-tests-black-links-instead-of-blue-links-in-search-results-2016-5 by $200 million! Color matters.

If you can, determine what color scheme is appropriate for your brand by either A/B testing or getting user feedback. This way, you can strike the right balance between congruity and standing out.

Your best bet would be to get customer feedback on what colors seem appropriate for your brand and market.

History of Color Psychology

While using colors for marketing and therapeutic reasons is a new and burgeoning field, humans have intuitively understood that different colors affect us differently since the beginning of visual art. 

Egyptians were harnessing colors from their natural environment to make art 7,000 years ago26https://www.worldhistory.org/article/999/color-in-ancient-egypt/. And the meanings they derived from each color had very much to do with how that color appeared in both nature and their society.

For example, the Egyptians colored their deities gold—a rare and precious metal.

And blue, made from copper and iron oxides, symbolized life in Egyptian art. This is no surprise, given the color of their great life source, the Nile River.

A piece of blue Egyptian art called Eye of Horus, which shows the history of color psychology and their great life source, the Nile River.

The Eye of Horus26https://www.worldhistory.org/article/999/color-in-ancient-egypt/ comes from a myth27https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eye-of-Horus where the Falcon God Horus loses their eye; then the Goddess Hathor miraculously restores it. Hence the symbol has come to mean healing and restoration.

Fast forward a few millennia to the 1660s when Sir Isaac Newton28https://library.si.edu/exhibition/color-in-a-new-light/science#:~:text=London%2C%201704,make%20up%20the%20visible%20spectrum. passed light through a prism for the first time and identified the colors that make up the visible light spectrum: ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet).

Then in 1810, poet, scientist, and novelist Johann von Wolfgang Goethe wrote The Theory of Colors29https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262570213/theory-of-colours/. He ventured his personal theories on each color’s psychological and emotional meaning. And here, he planted the seeds for color psychology to sprout in centuries to come.

Frequently Asked Questions About Color Psychology

What colors trigger what emotions?

Each color can trigger a range of emotional responses. But some common triggers for each color are blue and stability, red and passion, yellow and optimism, green and healing, orange and energy, purple and luxury, and pink and softness.

What is the most powerful color in psychology?

The color black is most strongly associated with power. It is also associated with mystery, elegance, sadness, death, and evil.

What is the most aggressive color?

Red is the most aggressive color. Seeing red increases metabolism and raises blood pressure. Red is also linked to anger and passion.

What is the most stimulating color?

Orange is the most stimulating color. It is known to evoke stimulation, enthusiasm, optimism, and liveliness. Think about the stimulating smell of a freshly peeled orange.

What colors set what moods?

Each color can set a variety of moods, but here are some common moods for each color: blue/tranquility, red/passion, yellow/happiness, green/hope, black/mystery, purple/luxury, brown/reliability, orange/fun, white/purity, and gray/practicality.

Can color affect mood?

Color can affect mood! Color influences human behavior, emotions, attention span, and concentration. The vividness/paleness of a color also changes the impact of that color.

How do we perceive color psychology?

Color psychology means we perceive colors in a way that impacts us mentally, emotionally, and physiologically. Each color’s impact depends on personal preferences and associations, cultural associations, and universal effects.

Can color cause physiological reactions?

Color can cause physiological reactions. Color therapy has also proven effective in helping with insomnia, diabetes, hyperacidity, psychiatric illnesses, dengue fever, hypertension, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), immunity, cutaneous wound healing, chronic joint disorders, and inflammation.

How important is color psychology?

The psychology of colors is more important than most people give it credit for. Our brains perceive colors before words or shapes. Regardless of your color preferences, the colors around you impact what you buy, what brands you like, and how you feel in your clothes and homes. 

When was color psychology discovered?

The origin of color psychology was in 1810 when poet, scientist, and novelist Johann von Wolfgang Goethe wrote a book called The Theory of Colors, where he ventured his personal theories on the emotional and psychological effects of color. And here, he planted the seeds for color psychology to sprout in centuries to come.

What color is best for anger?

If you want to unleash your anger, red is your best bet. If your goal is to calm your anger, then pink is proven to have the most soothing effects on aggression.

What is the most serious color?

Black is the most serious color. It is often used for formal wear and funerals because of its solemnity and seriousness.

Bringing Color Psychology Into Your Life

Colors are everywhere and are affecting you in ways seen and unseen. Remember some of the following tips to harness the power of color psychology.

  • If you’ve got a hot date, opt for red
  • Wearing black asks others to take you seriously, but it may also be intimidating 
  • Gray can feel uninspired and bland, so it’s good to spruce a gray outfit up with a splash of another color
  • For your best night of sleep, paint your room the color blue
  • Orange is a great exercise color because it’s stimulating
  • Green can help with anxiety
  • Red lights at night will help with your sleep
  • Pink soothes aggression
  • If you’re building a brand, balance out congruity with standing out

Best of luck with your color journey! And if you’d like to learn more about the psychology of clothes beyond just color, then this article is for you.

Article sources
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  3. https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2019/07/a-cuckolds-cap/
  4. https://www.travelodge.co.uk/press-centre/press-releases/SECRET-GOOD-NIGHT%E2%80%99S-SLUMBER-SLEEP-BLUE-BEDROOM
  5. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fa0022599
  6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20942361/
  7. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/science/the-color-of-royalty-bestowed-by-science-and-snails.html
  8. https://www.joehallock.com/edu/COM498/preferences.html
  9. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.54.1.74
  10. https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1170&context=honors
  11. https://neurosciencenews.com/color-filter-dyslexia-10052/
  12. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494415000328
  13. https://www.color-meanings.com/7-best-colors-healing/
  14. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-is-color-psychology
  15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1297510/
  16. https://med.stanford.edu/newborns/professional-education/jaundice-and-phototherapy/faqs-about-phototherapy.html
  17. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S096522991930915X?via%3Dihub
  18. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4989256/#:~:text=Exposure%20to%20blue%20light%20in,delay%20of%20the%20circadian%20rhythm.
  19. https://www.asahq.org/about-asa/newsroom/news-releases/2022/10/green-eyeglasses-reduce-pain-related-anxiety-in-fibromyalgia-patients-study-shows
  20. https://isom.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/JOM_1979_08_4_01_Tranquilizing_Effect_of_Color_Reduces_Aggressive-.pdf
  21. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3499892/
  22. https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/10/4/82
  23. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/00251740610673332/full/html
  24. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1470593106061263
  25. https://www.businessinsider.com/google-tests-black-links-instead-of-blue-links-in-search-results-2016-5
  26. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/999/color-in-ancient-egypt/
  27. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eye-of-Horus
  28. https://library.si.edu/exhibition/color-in-a-new-light/science#:~:text=London%2C%201704,make%20up%20the%20visible%20spectrum.
  29. https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262570213/theory-of-colours/

30 thoughts on “Color Psychology: How Color Affects Your Emotions And Why”

  1. I’ve always heard that certain colors mean different things, and you made it very easy to understand! It’s fascinating that our brains respond to color in that way. If you’re colorblind, does your brain still respond to the colors you’re seeing or is it different?

  2. I’ve always heard that certain colors mean different things, and you made it very easy to understand! It’s fascinating that our brains respond to color in that way. If you’re colorblind, does your brain still respond to the colors you’re seeing or is it different?

  3. I’ve always heard that certain colors mean different things, and you made it very easy to understand! It’s fascinating that our brains respond to color in that way. If you’re colorblind, does your brain still respond to the colors you’re seeing or is it different?

  4. Don’t know how did I end up reading a two-year old post, but… whatever.
    There’s one thing, though. What do you mean by “stable”?
    I am pretty sure I’m emotionally stable, but anywhere else I’m probably the most unstable person ever. I’m constantly changing my mind on everything, for instance. So… Wouldn’t it be pretty counterproductive to wear blue to a date?

    Also, Danielle’s question is a very interesting one, worth research in my opinion.

    1. Hey there, Caq– great points. I’m not entirely sure the definition of stable here. Perhaps it’s any kind of stability whether that’s emotionally based or career-based, etc. Blue also portrays loyalty and tranquility, so it has a few other benefits as well. I don’t think it would be counter-productive to wear blue on a date. Remember, that this is just a color and more of an initial impression– if you’re indecisive your date will probably pick up on that pretty quickly no matter what color you’re wearing 😉

      We have a post coming soon on the power of the color blue, so definitely check back with on this one!

      Danielle | Science of People Team

  5. Don’t know how did I end up reading a two-year old post, but… whatever.
    There’s one thing, though. What do you mean by “stable”?
    I am pretty sure I’m emotionally stable, but anywhere else I’m probably the most unstable person ever. I’m constantly changing my mind on everything, for instance. So… Wouldn’t it be pretty counterproductive to wear blue to a date?

    Also, Danielle’s question is a very interesting one, worth research in my opinion.

    1. Hey there, Caq– great points. I’m not entirely sure the definition of stable here. Perhaps it’s any kind of stability whether that’s emotionally based or career-based, etc. Blue also portrays loyalty and tranquility, so it has a few other benefits as well. I don’t think it would be counter-productive to wear blue on a date. Remember, that this is just a color and more of an initial impression– if you’re indecisive your date will probably pick up on that pretty quickly no matter what color you’re wearing 😉

      We have a post coming soon on the power of the color blue, so definitely check back with on this one!

      Danielle | Science of People Team

  6. Don’t know how did I end up reading a two-year old post, but… whatever.
    There’s one thing, though. What do you mean by “stable”?
    I am pretty sure I’m emotionally stable, but anywhere else I’m probably the most unstable person ever. I’m constantly changing my mind on everything, for instance. So… Wouldn’t it be pretty counterproductive to wear blue to a date?

    Also, Danielle’s question is a very interesting one, worth research in my opinion.

    1. Hey there, Caq– great points. I’m not entirely sure the definition of stable here. Perhaps it’s any kind of stability whether that’s emotionally based or career-based, etc. Blue also portrays loyalty and tranquility, so it has a few other benefits as well. I don’t think it would be counter-productive to wear blue on a date. Remember, that this is just a color and more of an initial impression– if you’re indecisive your date will probably pick up on that pretty quickly no matter what color you’re wearing 😉

      We have a post coming soon on the power of the color blue, so definitely check back with on this one!

      Danielle | Science of People Team

  7. I almost always wear only black. I am thin, so part of my thinking is that the perceived potential for aggression may balance my physical limitations. One of my strengths is academics, and I think people may associate black with Steve Jobs–I would obviously welcome that. I bicycle on most days and black resists showing dirt. I prefer that all my clothes combinations go together, and wearing black seems to be among the more cost-effective ways to make that happen.

    Still, I like to periodically reconsider. I still like how I look, but have few connections and want to make many more. Is wearing black likely to impede this goal?

    1. Hey GB, thanks for sharing. Black may not impede your goal, but I would be curious to see what happens when you wear a different color. Will people interact with you differently? Treat you differently? Will you feel a change in yourself? Sounds like it’s time for a little self-experiment!

      Danielle | Science of People Team

  8. I almost always wear only black. I am thin, so part of my thinking is that the perceived potential for aggression may balance my physical limitations. One of my strengths is academics, and I think people may associate black with Steve Jobs–I would obviously welcome that. I bicycle on most days and black resists showing dirt. I prefer that all my clothes combinations go together, and wearing black seems to be among the more cost-effective ways to make that happen.

    Still, I like to periodically reconsider. I still like how I look, but have few connections and want to make many more. Is wearing black likely to impede this goal?

    1. Hey GB, thanks for sharing. Black may not impede your goal, but I would be curious to see what happens when you wear a different color. Will people interact with you differently? Treat you differently? Will you feel a change in yourself? Sounds like it’s time for a little self-experiment!

      Danielle | Science of People Team

  9. I almost always wear only black. I am thin, so part of my thinking is that the perceived potential for aggression may balance my physical limitations. One of my strengths is academics, and I think people may associate black with Steve Jobs–I would obviously welcome that. I bicycle on most days and black resists showing dirt. I prefer that all my clothes combinations go together, and wearing black seems to be among the more cost-effective ways to make that happen.

    Still, I like to periodically reconsider. I still like how I look, but have few connections and want to make many more. Is wearing black likely to impede this goal?

    1. Hey GB, thanks for sharing. Black may not impede your goal, but I would be curious to see what happens when you wear a different color. Will people interact with you differently? Treat you differently? Will you feel a change in yourself? Sounds like it’s time for a little self-experiment!

      Danielle | Science of People Team

  10. Ruby Boswell-Green

    Hiya,
    I was wondering what research it was that concluded that orange ” increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an energizing effect, and stimulates brain activity.” Thanks so much x

  11. Ruby Boswell-Green

    Hiya,
    I was wondering what research it was that concluded that orange ” increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an energizing effect, and stimulates brain activity.” Thanks so much x

  12. Ruby Boswell-Green

    Hiya,
    I was wondering what research it was that concluded that orange ” increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an energizing effect, and stimulates brain activity.” Thanks so much x

  13. I liked how you suggested wearing orange and a workout outfit because it stimulates an energizing effect. My son and I started exercising because he will be joining the wrestling team, so we want to get some outfits. I will discuss these with him so we can start ordering some workout shirts and sweaters.

  14. I liked how you suggested wearing orange and a workout outfit because it stimulates an energizing effect. My son and I started exercising because he will be joining the wrestling team, so we want to get some outfits. I will discuss these with him so we can start ordering some workout shirts and sweaters.

  15. I liked how you suggested wearing orange and a workout outfit because it stimulates an energizing effect. My son and I started exercising because he will be joining the wrestling team, so we want to get some outfits. I will discuss these with him so we can start ordering some workout shirts and sweaters.

  16. I do agree with the concept of colour psychology. It appears that the green color is not just a color but millions of emotions. Like it seems if the next person wears out green, it makes him/her reflect humbleness and confidence.

  17. I do agree with the concept of colour psychology. It appears that the green color is not just a color but millions of emotions. Like it seems if the next person wears out green, it makes him/her reflect humbleness and confidence.

  18. I do agree with the concept of colour psychology. It appears that the green color is not just a color but millions of emotions. Like it seems if the next person wears out green, it makes him/her reflect humbleness and confidence.

Comments are closed.

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