Color and Mood

Color and mood have a strong relationship.  So strong, in fact, that most of us feel the emotional impact of color on a daily basis.  Think about how you feel when getting dressed in the morning, for instance.  If you want to feel brighter and happier, you might pull out a yellow or pink top to wear.  If you want to be taken seriously, you may gravitate towards wearing black or navy blue––the power suit.  The cool thing about color is that we can use it to make a statement.  If you want a calm and cool room in your home or office space, you can paint the walls a tranquil shade of blue!  If you want a burst of joy, try adding some yellow accents.

Loads of studies have been conducted by professionals, from psychologists to artists, to get a general sense of how an individual color can bring out a particular emotion.  Not every person responds the same way to a color, but for the most part, each color has its own general emotional response.  Let’s have some fun and take a look at each common color and how it amplifies an emotional reaction.

RED

red paper heart photo by photographer Sarah Pflug of Shopify Burst

The color of love and passion!  Red carries us through the holiday season, and into the month of February for Valentine’s Day, giving us a feeling of excitement and hopefulness.  It can symbolize love and grab your attention (think red sports car or a sexy red dress!).  Physiologically, red is known to increase heart rate, and in some individuals, blood pressure and irritability.  Red can be viewed as rather intense, but most agree it is the perfect color to capture one’s attention and heart.  When used in interiors, red is generally kept in socializing rooms, such as dining rooms and parlors, due to its energetic properties.  It’s a great color to layer with to give your wardrobe a nice pop!

ORANGE

orange paint supplies

The color of excitement and enthusiasm!  True orange is bold, the perfect accent.  It pairs well with navy blue, purple, and white.  Some say it’s hard to wear, but with so many shades of orange­­––from peach to pumpkin spice––you’re sure to find the perfect color to fit your personality and skin tone.  Energetic and motivating, orange is also a great color to use in gyms, schools, and areas of your office.  Its vibrancy and inspirational effects should and could be used more often, like during motivational speeches or brainstorming office sessions.  Studies have shown that the color orange can increase one’s appetite too!  Again, think pumpkin spice, fall, and Thanksgiving.  Orange can be very warm and cozy.

YELLOW

throw pillows

The color of joy and liveliness!  Yellow is considered to be the most cheerful and optimistic color of all.  The color exudes warmth and happiness, and its brightness is a great attention-grabber (think blinking yellow traffic light).  Yellow is the color of summer––the beach, sun, and flowers––all things that make you smile.  On the flip side though, did you know yellow is the hardest color for the eye to take in?  If overused, the color yellow can backfire, making people irritable and restless.  Luckily, the full spectrum of yellow offers many different shades from very bright and creative, to warmer, more sophisticated muted tones.  Yellow looks beautiful used for accents in home décor (think accent wall, throw pillows, table linens) or for that super cute sundress we’re all keeping our eye out for.

GREEN

succulent plant

The color of wealth and nature!  Green is the easiest color on the eyes, and for that reason, it is a great color to use to relax and rejuvenate the senses.  Think back to the last time you walked through the woods when everything was in full bloom.  You more than likely felt re-energized and stabilized.  Hospitals and medical facilities love using green as it promotes healing.  Grocery stores use the color to exaggerate the freshness of produce.  Green is an extremely versatile color, and since it is so common, it’s not too intimidating to wear or use in the home for decoration.

BLUE

oceanview

The color of tranquility and masculinity!  Just like green, blue is so easy to use and work with.  It’s very popular in interiors right now, due to its calming properties.  The coolness and breeziness of blues easily transcend us to a lake or oceanfront view.  Known to lower blood pressure and increase overall relaxation, blue’s use is very popular in health care facilities and spas.  It’s also the go-to color when an expecting mother is having a boy!  Simple for most of us to wear and easy on the eye, blue is probably the most versatile color of all!

PURPLE

 purple couch

The color of luxury and richness!  Purple is the go-to color for royalty, since it tends to be the most dramatic and rich of all the colors.  A deep purple can come off as romantic, mysterious, and sensual, and is sometimes used to spark the creative process.  Light purple is very relaxing and calming (think lavender scent).  Since purple is a mix of blue and red, it is the perfect balance of both masculine and feminine tones.  So, go ahead and be playful with purple!

PINK

pink roses

The color of love and playfulness!  Pink couples so nicely with red and really projects the love, which is why they are used together for Valentine’s Day.  And just like blue, it is the popular color people gravitate towards for a mother expecting a baby girl.  Youthful and playful, pink is like the love child of red.  But unlike red, if you were to expose massive amounts of pink to a person, it ends up having a calming effect on the nerves and helps relieve feelings of aggression and anger.  This is called the Pink Effect.

BLACK

black tie event

The color of sophistication and formality!  Black is often used to increase the seriousness of a situation.  It’s extreme.  It can be worn to a beautiful black tie event or it’s also the chosen color of mourning.  The color is so easy to wear, universal and safe, classy in both instances.  Black can be worn alone, but it’s also a great base for layering.  If you choose to add color with accessories it will allow the color to stand out nicely.  It’s a great accent color for designing artwork too, but hardly ever used in interiors spaces because it is very intense and drinks in all available light.

WHITE

wedding rings

The color of purity and simplicity!  White is clean and bright.  It’s the most popular paint color for ceilings because it helps give the illusion that the ceiling is higher and the room is bigger.  The contrast between white and other colors can be dramatic and fun when decorating interior spaces.  It enhances pops of color and helps creates a statement (think white couch filled with vibrant, colorful throw pillows!).  White also symbolizes innocence and goodness.  A clean slate, if you will.

BROWN

coffee

The color of dependability and warmth, just like your morning coffee!  Earthy and organic, brown is grounding and reliable and can leave you with a wholesome feeling.  It's a warm hue, that helps make you feel cozy and relaxed (think fall, warm fire, good book!).  It's also been known to help stimulate appetite, just like its close relative color orange.  Brown is neutral.  Lighter shades, like off white and beige are used to decorate homes all year round, but true brown really gains an audience in the fall when the air cools and the leaves start changing.  Brown is often paired with other earth tones such as: burnt red, burnt orange, golden yellow, and dark green for fall decor and fashion.

GREY

gray interior

The color of neutrality and coolness!  Grey is a combination of white and black; a pillar of strength.  It’s neutral, cool tone properties make it an effortless color to wear and design around making it a staple color to work with.  It’s so commonly used right now, that it can easily win the most popular color of the moment!  Like with black and white, it makes a great base for layer many colors to your wardrobe or home.

If you were to Google how many colors exist, you would get the answer of over 10 million!  We’ve highlighted the top 11 most common colors and the feelings they evoke.  It’s so interesting to see (and feel!) how something as simple as color affects our mood on an everyday basis.  We hope this article will help you incorporate colors that best fit your personality and mood into your daily life so you can feel happy and joyful!  Thanks for reading!



📸 Photo Credits: Burst

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