Guest post: The Psychology of Colour: How it Influences Our Emotions & Mood

If you’ve ever tried to cheer yourself up by putting on a bright piece of clothing, you already know that colour can influence your emotions.

As the website Empower Yourself With Color Psychology notes, colour is a type of nonverbal communication that tells those around us what kind of mood we’re in and what our energy level is that day. When it comes to buying new clothes or remodelling a room, it’s helpful to understand the psychology of colour and how it affects our emotions. Read on to learn how these popular colours can influence us.

Red: Passionate and Fiery

Red is the colour with the most physical property to it, according to the website Colour Affects. In other words, it represents and can influence strong and visceral feelings like courage, strength, energy and excitement. On the flip side, it may also represent aggression and defiance. As an attention-grabber, the colour red cannot be beat—this is why it’s used on stop signs and on traffic lights and in McDonald’s restaurants around the world. On the days when you need to get a lot done, wear a red shirt or jacket to inspire you to get everything accomplished.

Green: Peaceful and Balanced

Green represents harmony, peace and tranquility. If you have always dreamed of converting the spare bedroom in your home into a yoga or meditation room, select a lovely shade of green for the walls or furnish it with some green pieces and decorative items. Wayfair offers a great variety of interior furnishings and accessories in varying hues of green.

Purple: Rich and Royal

Purple is a spiritual colour, evoking thoughts of contemplation, royalty and a heightened awareness. Kings and queens throughout the ages often wore ermines of a rich violet colour, thanks to its connotations of luxury, truth and even a bit of decadence. Expect to see more clothes in different shades of purple this year, especially since Pantone (which bills itself as “the global authority on color”) named “radiant orchid” as the colour of the year for 2014. Although this is a lighter shade of violet, this beautiful and rich hue still inspires feelings of creativity and imagination, and when used in fashion or decorating, can help instill these feelings.

Blue: Trustworthy and Serene

Quite possibly the world’s favorite colour, blue makes us feel peaceful and at ease. Unlike more intense colours (like red) that impact us physically, blue’s effect is on our minds; it helps us to think more clearly and concentrate better. It also inspires trust and integrity, which means it can be a great color to select when building a new website or a logo for a company. It’s probably no coincidence that brands like Ford, Intel and American Express all have logos that feature this solid, trustworthy and dependable colour.