Research suggests the colors in your home can impact mood
Jan 24, 2024, 9:00 AM
ISTANBUL, TURKEY - AUGUST 11: Color swatches at the IFCO - Istanbul Fashion Connection Fair at Istanbul Expo Center on August 11, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey. According to Mental Health America, color theory suggests that the colors you use in your home can have an impact on your moods. (Photo by Ferda Demir/Getty Images for IFCO)
(Photo by Ferda Demir/Getty Images for IFCO)
SALT LAKE CITY — According to Mental Health America, color theory suggests that the colors you use in your home can have an impact on your moods.
A 2014 journal authored by Sevinc Kurt and Kelechi Kingsley Osueke said that an environment’s elements can “stimulate perceptual and emotional responses.” The elements include temperature, layout and color, among others.
Additionally, Kalyan V. Meola wrote that exposure to different colors of light can have different physical impacts. In her piece titled “The Psychology of Color,” Meola wrote that “pure red light” can trigger an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. In contrast, pure blue light has the opposite effect.
Mental Health America’s website said more research is needed to confirm the outcomes aren’t due to socialization or a placebo effect. But, the website said the theory suggests that intentionally selected home colors can help boost your mood.
So, what home colors go where?
Mental Health America said that paint isn’t the only way to influence the mood impact of the rooms in your home. Furnishings such as wall art, rugs or furniture can also do the trick.
For rooms you desire to evoke energetic feelings, such as dining and living spaces, Mental Health America recommends bright, warmer tones such as red, orange and yellow.
On the contrary, those colors aren’t the best options for places you’d like to be relaxing, such as a bedroom.
The website dubbed blue, purple, green and pink as the best options for those rooms. They evoke feelings, such as calmness, relaxation and serenity.
Neutrals, which are black, white, and gray, work in any room or as accent colors, Mental Health America said.
Applying the colors appropriately can help you reap the potential benefits of color theory, according to Mental Health America. For example, they can improve sleep or promote improved communication.
“Remember that color theory isn’t guaranteed to be effective,” Mental Health America’s website reads.
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