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From captivating natural landscapes to carefully designed interiors, we’re constantly surrounded by colour. And, whether we know it or not, research suggests that it influences everything from our mood and behaviour to the way we relate to ourselves and others.
Here, we’ll take a closer look at what colour psychology is, and consider how it influences daily life.
What is colour psychology?
Colour psychology is the study of how colour affects human mood and behaviour. Research is still in its early stages, but there’s mounting evidence that colour may significantly impact how we think, feel, and behave.
Whether consciously or subconsciously, to some extent, most of us will know this. For example, do you find that red grabs your attention? Or that blue makes you feel calmer and more relaxed?
It’s unsurprising, then, that colour is so often used in areas like advertising, marketing, and interior design to communicate different moods and messages, and influence consumer habits.
It’s also possible, therefore, that increasing your understanding of colour psychology may be beneficial for personal development – for example, by helping to boost confidence or take hold of impulsive spending.
As Pablo Picasso once said, “Colours, like features, follow the changes of emotions.”
How do different colours affect us?
While studies on colour psychology are ongoing, we know from science that the brain associates colours with various states of mind.
According to experts, a key element for distinguishing colours is their temperature. Generally speaking, there are warm colours, cool colours, and neutral colours – and each category can have different effects on how we feel.
- Warm colours – reds, oranges, and yellows. These colours generally evoke a sense of energy, enthusiasm, joy, love, familiarity, and vitality. They can also be used to communicate danger or signal warnings.
- Cool colours – greens, purples, and blues. These colours typically convey calm, rest, peace, gentleness, sadness, and reflection. Cool colours appear further apart from one another and stand out less than warm colours. Because of this, painting a room in a cool tone will make it appear bigger than it actually is.
- Neutral colours – greys, browns, beiges. Neutral colours generally communicate balance, tranquillity, elegance, and neutrality. For fashion and interior design projects, neutral colours can be useful because they can be combined with both warm and cool tones.
We might ask whether the experience of colour differs from person to person, or whether there’s a common theme. However, research suggests that many associations of colour and emotion are universally shared. For example, in this study of over 4,500 people from 30 different countries…
- 51% of participants associated black with sadness
- 43% associated white with relief
- 68% associated red with love
- 39% linked green with contentment
- 52% linked yellow with joy
But what does this mean for everyday life? Below, we’ll take a closer look at the impact of specific colours in various situations.
Red
Red is one of the most striking colours and is often linked to emotions like love, passion, and anger. Studies suggest the colour red can influence our behaviour and performance.
This study found that athletes wearing red uniforms may perform better in competitive sports, possibly due to the colour’s association with dominance. Another study found that red may negatively impact analytical thinking but improve physical reactions.
We also know that red is commonly used in shop sale signs because it creates a sense of urgency and encourages people to spend.
Blue
Blue is often linked with peace and stability as it has a naturally calming effect.
This is why it’s often seen in corporate and healthcare branding. For example, many banks and technology companies (for example, Facebook and PayPal) use blue in their logos to convey reliability.
There’s also evidence that blue environments may help to lower blood pressure and heart rate. And this study found that blue may improve innovation and problem-solving.
Yellow
Yellow is often linked with warmth, positivity, and optimism. For example, studies suggest that a touch of yellow in a workplace environment may help encourage creativity.
Yellow is also highly visible and noticed quickly, which is why it’s often used in caution signs.
Green
As you might expect, green is closely connected with nature. Many health and sustainability products use green in their branding.
Researchers suggest that exposure to green spaces can improve mental wellbeing. And other studies have linked green with higher creativity.
Orange
Orange offers a nice mix of red’s vibrancy and yellow’s cheerfulness. It’s often associated with fun, and many brands use it to promote affordability – for example, sports brands like Nike and fast-food chains like McDonald’s.
Purple
Purple has long been associated with royalty, wisdom, and spirituality.
Many high-end brands use purple to convey luxury and exclusivity.
Black, white, and grey – the neutral colours
Black is often used to symbolise formality and elegance, but is, of course, also linked to mourning in many cultures. Meanwhile, white is associated with purity, cleanliness, and simplicity, making it popular in medical settings and minimalist interior designs.
Grey is generally seen as balanced, but too much can often feel dull or uninspiring.
Final thoughts...
Research shows that colour can affect us in various ways, from our mood and emotions to how we relate to one another. As a result, it’s possible that grasping a deeper understanding of colour psychology – or even just becoming more aware of it – may encourage personal growth and development.
For ideas on ways to add more colour to your life, you might like to read our articles: 10 tips for dressing with colour and confidence and 18 home decorating ideas.
Alternatively, head over to our lifestyle section.
Do you have any preferred colours, ones that hold a special meaning, or even ones that you avoid? If so, we’d be interested to hear from you in the comments below.
* Links with an * by them are affiliate links which help Rest Less stay free to use as they can result in a payment or benefit to us. You can read more on how we make money here.
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