How the use of colors can affect your mental health and well-being
There is a close connection between colors and emotions. Different colors evoke different emotions. Whether they are warm or cold colors matters, as does whether they are bright or muted ones. Each color can evoke different feelings from sadness to happiness. Colors can make us feel excited or relaxed. When you are feeling happy and excited you are more likely to enjoy an Everygame casino bonus.
It is useful to understand the psychological impact of colors on the average person and to learn the basics of color theory and what each color means.
Below is an explanation of the way that colors can impact your emotions and how they make you feel.
Emotions and the impact of colors
How a color affects emotions is mainly dependent on its intensity, its shade or its tone. It also depends on whether it is a warm color or a cool one.
Warm colors are red, orange and yellow. These colors are associated with feelings of energy, optimism and happiness but they also have the ability to attract attention and alert you to danger and action. Examples are stop signs and warning lights.
Cool colors are green, blue and purple. These colors are associated with calmness and tranquility but can also represent sadness. They also express health and beauty. Purple can trigger creativity and is also associated with spirituality.
Colors evoking feelings of happiness
Bright warm colors like yellow, orange, pink and red are called happy colors. Softer colors like pale pink, peach or lilac also lift your mood but the more intense and lighter the color the more effect it will have on how happy you feel. You can create happy feelings by mixing a number of primary and secondary colors together.
Colors denoting sadness
Darker and more muted colors are associated with sadness. Blue, green, brown, beige and obviously grey. These colors will have a similar effect on emotions depending on how they are used. For instance, black is used when mourning.
Colors evoking feelings of calm
Certain cool colors such as blue and green have calming effects as do some pastel colors like pale blue, mint green and lilac. White, grey and beige may also evoke feelings of calm.
Energizing colors
Bright colors have the ability to affect emotions in a powerful way. Bright red, yellow and neo-green can be very energizing, increasing your alertness. These stand-out colors will be attention-grabbing. Strong rich colors like royal blue, turquoise, emerald green and magenta all have the ability to stimulate and energize.
How individual colors can affect how you feel
Red
Red will make you feel energized, enthusiastic and passionate. Of all the colors, red is the warmest. It often denotes passion and love but also anger and danger. In design, too much red can be overwhelming so use it in moderation.
Orange
Like red, orange can also make you feel energized and enthusiastic. It is also associated with feelings of happiness and vitality. It is not as overwhelming as red can be but also draws attention. Orange is also a very strong color but is also welcoming and friendly and has the ability to draw you in.
Yellow
Yellow has the ability to evoke feelings of happiness and spontaneity. It is associated with sunshine, lightness and hope. Including yellow in your home design will promote cheerfulness, laughter and optimism. However, too much yellow can be overwhelming and may even be irritating for the eyes. Use it sparingly to attract attention and to create a comfortable environment.
Green
The color green is refreshing and creates feelings of optimism. Green is associated with good health, wealth and new beginnings. Green is a very relaxing color and easy on the eyes. The color green promotes feelings of balance and growth as well as good health and security. Surrounding yourself with green will evoke feelings of calm and relaxation.
Blue
The color blue has the ability to make you feel comfortable, safe and relaxed. Blue is connected with feelings of spirituality, security and trust. When surrounded by the color blue, the body produces chemicals that cause feelings of calm. Blue is the most popular of all the colors. Darker shades of blue give a professional and elegant feel whereas lighter blues create a more relaxed and friendly feeling. Facebook and Twitter both use lighter blues which would seem appropriate for social network sites.
Purple
Purple is the color representing creativity. It is strongly associated with royalty and wealth as well as mystery. The softer, pale shades of purple evoke feelings of calm and are often used in beauty products. When used in design, purple will instill a feeling of luxury and wealth and the lighter shades of romance and mystery.
Pink
Pink is fun and playful. It represents youthfulness, romance and tenderness.
Brown
Brown represents the earth and evokes feelings of earthliness or feeling down-to-earth. Brown is associated with feelings of stability and support, evoking feelings of dependability and practicality. It is associated with tradition and established ways of being.
Black
Black is a favorite, especially in clothing. It makes you feel sophisticated, elegant and serious. It promotes feelings of power and luxury and also professionalism. Black is a very powerful color and can also create the idea of mystery. However, it is also associated in many cultures with mourning and sadness.
White
The color white is associated with simplicity and purity. In design, white creates a feeling of minimalism, simple, fresh and clean. In many cultures, white is associated with purity, innocence and virginity. Wedding gowns are most often white as are many newborn baby clothes. White is the most neutral of all the colors.
Gray
Gray creates feelings of seriousness and professionalism. Wearing gray will evoke feelings of responsibility and formality. Too much gray may lead to feelings of conventionality and staidness and can make you feel too serious and emotionless.
The strong link between colors and feelings
It is important to point out that colors are often subjective and the way in which they may make a person feel is often dependent on the differences in experience and culture. Color may have different meanings in different countries and for different nations.
However, there is definitely a close link between colors and emotions no matter what and therefore when it comes to choosing colors you should take this into account.
