Ever wonder why certain colors make you happy or stressed? There’s a lot more to color than just its appearance. Colors can actually affect your mood and emotions— this is related to the study of color psychology.

All color is comprised directly of three primary colors; red, blue, and yellow. Mixing these initial colors creates the remaining colors of the rainbow. Some colors are grouped by temperature— warm and cool colors. For example, shades of red, orange, and yellow fall under the warm category. On the contrary, the shades of blue, green, and purple are cool tones.

Not only do colors get associated with temperature, but they are also associated with emotions. Color subconsciously affects us and our attitudes. While not every color has a universal meaning, they generally share similar qualities. Here are some examples:

• Red: importance, passion, aggression, danger

• Orange: optimism, motivation, playful, enthusiasm

• Yellow: happiness, warmth, attention, frustration

• Green: nature, peace, success, growth

• Blue: calmness, sadness, comfort, productivity

• Purple: wisdom, soothing, creativity, royalty

• Black: professionalism, sophistication, power, neutrality

• White: innocence, cleanliness, emptiness, freshness
  

Color plays a major role in our daily lives. Especially when it comes to logos, accessories, signage, and clothing. The colors we surround ourselves with affect our emotions and productivity. Interacting with colors associated with success and creativity will help encourage that behavior. Easy ways of incorporating these colors into our daily lives are through our home decor and clothing. Dressing in blue holds different energy than wearing red. The same thing goes with decor. Walls painted in darker hues may cause anxiety and stress, while light colors (like shades of white) are less claustrophobic.

Living life full of color is living life to the fullest. For more exploration on the psychology behind color and color theory check out the links below!

Be well, Auburn.

Sources:

https://xd.adobe.com/ideas/process/ui-design/what-is-color-theory/

https://www.verywellmind.com/color-psychology-2795824