Color and Mood-How Color Affects Our Emotions

"I'm feeling blue."

"She was green with envy."

How often have you heard these expressions?

They're actually fairly common. And they're a good illustration of how color relates to our emotions.

Actually, color does have a physical effect on the human body. It can influence the pituitary gland, which helps regulate hormone production. Hormones can affect our moods, so it makes sense that color would, too. But it can also be used to change our moods.

How do specific colors relate to moods and emotions?

Red is all about energy and vitality, but as you've seen above, it can also indicate anger. And of course it's associated with sexuality as well. Pink, though, can provide a sense of being cared for; it's more about nurturing and maternal love.

Orange is stimulating, good for times when we just can't seem to get started with something. Its lighter version, peach, may be useful for exhaustion due to stress.

Yellow is good for mental activities like reasoning and analysis. It can promote self-confidence and is helpful in situations when you need to be more optimistic.

Green tends to make most people think of nature, since so much of the natural world is green. It's about connections - with nature, or with our fellow humans. It's also good for general stress, since it can help balance emotions.

Blue is soothing and relaxing. It can stimulate creativity. Light blue can denote quiet, and dark blue can be sedating. But too much dark blue can be depressing.

Purple is related to imagination, intuition, and insight. In some situations it can also be very peaceful.

White is definitely about peace. But it's also associated with purity, which makes it good for "cleansing" - which could mean purification, or maybe just clarification.

Black may make some people think of depression, but it doesn't have to. It's a very dramatic color; many artists wear nothing but black. It can denote mystery, something hidden - or maybe an introvert who's been around crowds too long could use it to "hide" from people. In this sense, it can be a very protecting color.

Gray is a common color for business suits, and in those instances it can indicate independence, self-control, and self-confidence. But some color specialists think it's also about ambiguity and indecision; after all, it isn't black, and it isn't white, either.

Brown is the color of earth, and be just as "grounding." It's good for introducing stability to an otherwise insecure situation. But too much of it can take stability to its extreme - stagnation.

How can you use colors to change your mood? Well, clothing is the most obvious choice. What you wear not only helps you feel a certain way, but also can give a strong impression about you to others - especially people you've never met.

But you don't have to change everything about your appearance. Sometimes an accessory, like a tie or scarf, in a particular color will have the desired effect - without being too noticeable to others.

You may also want to make changes to your surroundings. This doesn't mean, though, that you have to replace all your furniture (unless you want to, of course!). Small changes like fresh flowers, decorations, or afghans or other throws placed on the furniture may do the trick. And besides, you may need to make a different kind of change later!

Consider lighting as well. Colored lighting has been used to evoke certain moods for a long time. Romance may be the first thing you think of, but you could use colored lighting for other effects. Lighting changes tend to be dramatic, though, and probably not good for your vision on a permanent basis, so it's best that these changes be for short periods of time only.

When you're using color to transform your moods, start with just a few subtle changes, especially if the way you're feeling seems to be temporary. You can always make bigger changes later if you need to.

Color may take on new meaning in your life. You may even discover that colors you once hated are now some of your favorites. And even if your preferences don't change, you'll probably never take color for granted again.