How Color Can Affect Your Mental Health

Like anyone else, you grasp that colors impact your sense of beauty. An object’s hue can make it seem pretty, ugly, or somewhere in-between. However, did you know colors also affect your mental health? A specific shade might raise your mood or make it worse. In fact, you can even use this principle when designing your home’s interior. You just have to learn a few pointers. So, here’s a primer on mood-color history, modern color psychology, and mood-boosting ways to color your home.

A History of Color & Mood

Of course, the connection between color and mood isn’t a recent finding. People have been studying it for centuries throughout the globe.

Just look at the ancient world, for example. Colors were used in early Egypt and Greece to evoke emotions, help spiritual practices, and treat ailments. The nature of color wasn’t yet understood, but people grasped that it could sway your feelings.

Later still, society studied color and mood during the Enlightenment era. Scientific discoveries revealed how color emerges from light waves. Even in these years, though, people still explored color’s role as a therapeutic tool. In 1810, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe published The Theory of Colors.

What’s Color Psychology?

Today, the study of how colors relate to emotions is called color psychology. It reveals how color affects your mood and can be employed in wellness routines and environments.

Notably, color psychology is used in various venues. Branding and product design decisions are often based on people’s responses to colors. Meanwhile, experts will consider color response when designing their work, schools, and living spaces. A doctor could paint their waiting room light green to promote calm feelings in patients.

That said, there are more personal ways to use color psychology. Insights concerning it have been developed into art and color therapies.

Using Color Psychology in the Home

As it happens, you can apply color psychology to your home. Consider the ideas below as you assess your household:

• Try blue and green shades in the bedroom – According to current studies, earthy green tones mixed with blues can provide a restorative environment for the body. As such, try coloring your bedroom walls with these shades. The combination can create a peaceful space where you can reduce your stress.
• Consider light purple for the study – Light purple and off-white colors for the main wall and ceiling skirting are perfect for a productive setting. An elegant white would complement the bright purple to give the room a timeless aesthetic, all while encouraging creativity.
• Add earthy tones to the living room – Ideally, a living room would be an energetic and engaging environment. (After all, it’s a space where people socialize.) That being the case, earthy tones can set a good mood. The right blend of green and red (or pink) would make a group calm yet stimulated.

As you can see, colors really can have a positive effect on your mood. For further details on this fact, talk with your local painting service.