Colour affects our mood. This is why most fast-food restaurants are colored red or orange (to stimulate appetite) and most spas are done in a relaxing hue of whites and greens. Colour has been used to affect our moods and reactions and many companies know about this. In fact, websites themes and workplace paint colours are built around the concept of Chromology, also known as the Psychology of Colour.
In the early 1990’s a psychologist named Angela Wright has developed a theory eponymously named the Wright Theory [1] which shows that colour affects our behaviour. Blues affect our mind, Yellows affect our emotion, Greens affect our balance, and Reds affect our body.
So, here’s how you use that knowledge to your advantage:
Blues Clues
Blue is used to stimulate your mind. You’d often find that corporate offices and websites use more blues. This projects an air of stability, security, and confidence. Not only that, it is used to stimulate mental processes. Corporate offices, banks, security companies, and technology hubs often sport this colour on their office walls. So if you work in the financial industry or accounting industry, you’d do well to paint your home office a nice shade of blue. Make sure to put some accents in another colour family for balance – you don’t want to be too cold and calculating.
Yellow Submarine
Yellow is used to stimulate your spirits. It is used to spark creativity and make you more optimistic. It is such a happy colour that any iteration of yellow is bound to bring in a bit of sunshine. Be careful about putting too much though – there is a thing as over stimulation. So fellow creatives, let all splash our home offices with a nice, home friendly yellow tone to get those creative juices flowing.
Red Balloon
Red is used to stimulate the body. As I’ve mentioned earlier, fast food joints use that to their advantage as red (and oranges) are known to stimulate appetite. Think of Arby’s, KFC, Mcdonald’s, Pizza Hut, Wendy’s, and Burger King. I could go on, but you get the idea. Red does not necessarily make us hungry, it is known to stimulate activity and increase the heart rate. So if you work in a gym or kid’s activity area, a red theme is a sure shot way to increase activity.
Green Eggs
Green is used to stimulate balance. It is known to have a calming, reassuring effect. It also symbolizes growth and nature. If you need a soothing environment, then it would do you good to work in a workplace with green tones. Use it for when you’re running a financial consultancy. The green colours will neutralize the nervousness of your clients, which is common for anything involving money. If you’re personally prone to anxiety attacks, a green workspace would help you feel less anxious while working.
What colour is your workplace? How does it affect your work? Let us know in the comments! Stay humble and hustle hard!
Written by: Jaie O. – The Help
References:
1 http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/the-wright-theory