Does Color Affect People’s Moods?

Do you like the red or blue M&M’s better? Well realistically, the color doesn’t affect anything about the taste since all M&M’s are just chocolate. The colors are just appeasing to others and can definitely affect someone’s mood.

Color can convey action, affect mood, and even affect physiological responses. It is a potent communication tool. Color is known as a psychological mind twister. So how exactly does color affect someone’s mood? And how does it have the ability to impact others and their behavior?

Scientists are skeptical on the topic and say that color can only affect moods for a short period of time and only give us short lasting satisfaction or dissatisfaction. While color perceptions can be somewhat arbitrary, some color effects have a more general significance. Your preference for a color is frequently influenced by your early memories and how you relate colors to emotions.

Cool hues include blue, purple, and green, which are on the blue end of the color wheel. Although they are frequently thought of as being calming, these hues can also induce feelings of sadness or disinterest.

Warm colors include red, orange, and yellow, which are those in the red end of the color wheel. These warm hues create a range of sensations, from warmth and comfort to anger and aggression. 

Color psychology is a crucial method adopted by artists, interior designers, and as a marketing strategy in many industries. When choosing what color to paint the walls of a specific location in a building, or rather what color associations to use, interior decorators consider the impact of colors. People often purchase things in certain colors that induce emotions and definite moods.

The reason classrooms are a mess of chaotic colors is because brighter and colorful environments can boost creativity. And office buildings usually have more earth tone colors like browns and grays because it boosts productivity.

I interviewed Zoey Darner, Pitman High Sophomore, on the topic and asked her,

“Does the color of certain things evoke certain emotions for you?”

Darner replied with,

“I would say yes and color honestly does have a big effect on my moods and can change them pretty quick.”

I continued with,

“Can you give me an example of when color does affect your mood?”

She answered,

“I think usually when I’m in darker rooms my mood is kind of more depressing which you would figure would happen for anyone else. Or when I’m in a room full of bright and mixed colors it feels like my brain is more hyper activated and I can’t really focus on one thing.”

Information may be conveyed through color, and it can also evoke specific emotions and even have an impact on how people behave and make decisions. Additionally, color preferences have an impact on the things individuals decide to buy, the clothes they wear, and the way they decorate their surroundings.

According to experts, while color can have an impact on how we feel and behave, these impacts might vary depending on a person’s personality, culture, and environment. To understand color psychology better, additional scientific study is necessary. I would say the theory of color psychology is a very interesting and important topic to be educated about.