Updated: Jun 21, 2021
“Colour is a power which directly influences your soul”
- Wassily Kandinsky
So, what is color psychology?
Color psychology is a study that looks at how colors can influence the perception of human behavior, through one's moods, emotions, feelings, and sensations. When light strikes the human eye, the wavelengths do so in different ways, influencing our perceptions.*** A certain area of the brain – the hypothalamus (which controls hormones and the network of glands and organs) - converts and transmits this for interpretation on how we respond.
Colors can influence feelings towards our appetite, sexual functions, sleeping and so much more! This is used widely in business and scientific research as colors can influence a person’s emotions and feeling towards goods/services and even towards other people*. Pretty interesting, right?
But how does color psychology influence us?
The human mind is affected by colors. There is a connection between our brain and our emotions. This determines how we react both physiologically and psychologically to colors. Depending on how the brain is stimulated, a person can feel happy, angry, sad, or anxious**. An overloaded level of color could lead to changes in breathing patterns, pulse, blood pressure, and muscle tension. However, too little color i.e. a completely white environment can lead to anxiousness, sleeplessness, excessive emotional reaction, loss of concentration, and nervousness. Thus, too much or too little color can be problematic and perhaps affect our mental state.
So, how can I use color psychology to improve my mental and physical health?
The primary colors: Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow*** can be used to help you understand why you may see these colors and react in a certain way.
Red
This color is depicted as strong and powerful that grabs people’s attention quickly – it may activate the “fight or flight” instinct. It is stimulating, lively, very friendly – if you need to get pumped up for something e.g. a sporting event or a big presentation surround yourself with red, perhaps light a candle and meditate that you are going to be the best – be bold and tenacious!
Yellow Yellow is thought of as joyful, outgoing, open, and friendly. Psychologically, yellow is the strongest color and used in many campaigns for signs of hope and optimism - if you are feeling like you want to boost your mood surround yourself with yellow. We’ve all got access to one great source, the sun!
Green Green is considered an emotionally calming color. It gives a sense of refreshment, harmony, and equilibrium. The color green is relaxing, and this may be because it links back to nature and the environment. Next time you need to relax, try and find the colors of green by sitting out in nature, e.g. a forest or green park, and notice how your mood changes.
Blue Blue encourages intellectual activity, reason, and logical thought. It is a soothing and calming color that encourages reflection. Nature uses it in the sky and the sea. Strong blues stimulate clear thought, whereas lighter, soft blues calm the mind and aid concentration. If you are in need of calming your nerves or needing rest, find some blue – if you live by the sea take a walk and breath in the fresh air, or if not then look up at the sky and watch the world go by and allow creative happy thoughts to pour in.
These are just some examples of how you can use colors to influence your mental health and help you to live your best life. We are all one, no matter what race, age, gender, or background we come from. Color psychology can be used as a principle that everyone can get in touch with by surrounding themselves with a healthy balance of light and colors. We are all exposed to lots of wonderful colors from this beautiful planet every day, maybe we should show some gratitude back and believe in our own beauty more. Therefore, I have devised some key top tips for you all.
Top Tips
Be confident and believe in yourself in every situation. Use colors to your advantage to strengthen you!
Support and nurture others – you don’t know how they are feeling on the inside, and that might be you one day so treat others as you would like to be treated.
Always continue to grow and develop yourself. Learning new things can be scary because we don’t feel confident in it yet – but it pays off in the long run.
Challenge yourself and focus on your creative outlet – you have plenty of colors to choose from!
You've got this.
If you feel like you need some professional help with redirecting your mind to more positive pursuits, write to us at info@themoodspace.com or Book your Initial Consultation on www.themoodspace.com/freeconsultation.
Written by - Becca
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References
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_psychology
*** https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244014525423