Mental health disorders like anxiety and depression are increasingly common. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 1 in 5 American adults live with a mental illness. Understanding the connections between colors and mental health can provide valuable insights into these conditions.
How Colors Impact Moods and Emotions
Colors have a strong influence on human psychology and behavior. The brain perceives colors in terms of wavelengths of light that interact with the visual system. Studies show that certain colors can evoke different emotional responses:
- Blues and greens often have calming, peaceful effects.
- Yellows and reds tend to elicit feelings of energy, warmth, or anxiety.
- Grays can create sensations of sadness, loneliness, or isolation.
The context also impacts color perception. A bright red might signify love and passion or danger and alarm depending on the situation. While reactions are partly subjective, general patterns emerge in research on colors and mood.
The Color Psychology of Anxiety
Anxiety involves persistent worry, nervousness, tension, and apprehension. Anxious individuals are often on high alert scanning for potential threats. Key colors associated with anxiety include:
Gray
Shades of gray can elicit isolating, lonely feelings. Gray is associated with rainy cloudy days and can metaphorically represent a “dark cloud” of anxiety.
Black
Black can symbolize the unknown, emptiness, and loss. The color elicits sensations of apprehension and ambiguity.
Red
While vibrant reds are energizing, they also increase tension and uneasiness at high saturation. Red is connected to panic attacks and surges in anxiety symptoms.
| Color | Psychological Associations |
|---|---|
| Gray | Isolation, loneliness, gloom |
| Black | Emptiness, ambiguity, fear of unknown |
| Red | Tension, heightened arousal, panic |
Avoiding too much red and black in an anxious person’s environment may help limit stimulation. Cool blues and greens can have a calming effect.
The Color Psychology of Depression
The core features of depression include persistent sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest. Depressed mood often involves feeling drained of energy and motivation. Colors linked to depression include:
Blue
While moderate blues are relaxing, very deep blues can elicit sensations of sadness and despair. Dark blues are sometimes used metaphorically to represent “feeling blue.”
Brown
Brown often represents decay and rot. The muddy, dull shade can elicit feelings of emptiness and degradation.
Gray
As noted, grays can create lonely, isolating feelings. People with depression may report living in a haze of gray.
| Color | Psychological Associations |
|---|---|
| Blue | Sadness, despair, boredom |
| Brown | Decay, dullness, degradation |
| Gray | Emptiness, isolation, loneliness |
Avoiding too much blue, brown, and gray may help depressed individuals limit those associations. Yellows, reds, and pinks could provide some energizing, positive contrast.
Using Color Psychology to Support Mental Health
Color psychology offers insights that therapists can use in counseling patients with anxiety and depression. Recommendations include:
- Incorporate calming colors like blue-green in office décor.
- Suggest limiting darker colors that reinforce negativity.
- Encourage positive colorful expression through art therapy.
- Develop color strategies to fit individual personality and needs.
Patients can also benefit from personalized color therapy approaches. For example, an anxious patient could wear a blue bracelet to serve as a calming reminder during periods of stress.
Study: Green Reduces Anxiety
A 2012 study published in the journal Work investigated how office wall colors impact employee anxiety levels and workload. The research included over 600 participants working in different colored office environments. The study found:
- Employees in green offices reported significantly lower anxiety levels.
- Red office walls increased subjective workload ratings.
- Blue and yellow walls had no significant impacts on anxiety or workload.
The results suggest green office walls could reduce anxiety and improve workplace well-being. The researchers propose that green has a relaxing, restorative effect on the human visual system.
Tips for Using Color to Ease Anxiety
People with anxiety can leverage color psychology to help manage symptoms. Tips include:
Surround yourself with green
Incorporate more green into your living space through wall colors, plants, fabrics, and accents. Green tones are naturally calming.
Limit red when possible
Reduce reds which can heighten tension, stimulation, and feelings of panic.
Dress in soothing cool tones
Wear more blue, purple, and green tones to provide a sense of relaxation.
Try calming chromotherapy
Use blue and green lights or glass for chromotherapy to reduce agitation.
Keep a dark gray stone on hand
Fidgeting with a dark polished stone can help ground you when anxious.
Study: Blue Light Reduces Depression
A Swiss study published in Molecular Psychiatry examined how different wavelengths of light impact depression symptoms. The trial included 122 patients with major depression who underwent bright light therapy. The results showed:
- Exposure to blue light significantly reduced depressive symptoms.
- Blue light therapy had rapid antidepressant effects.
- Red and white light did not reduce depressive symptoms.
The researchers propose that blue light positively impacts mood via mechanisms in the brain’s prefrontal cortex. Harnessing blue light may offer a fast-acting, non-pharmaceutical treatment for depression.
Tips for Using Color to Relieve Depression
Depressed individuals can potentially apply color psychology to lift their mood. Tips include:
Let in white natural light
Open blinds and curtains to allow in white daylight, which has an energizing effect.
Use blue light therapy
Purchase a blue light lamp or install blue light bulbs to boost mood.
Wake up to yellow tones
Yellow wavelengths promote alertness, so try using yellow morning light.
Wear red or pink accessories
Adorning yourself with warm reds and pinks can positively stimulate your aura.
Limit dull browns
Reduce dull browns in your décor, which reinforce feelings of dreariness.
Conclusion
Color psychology offers valuable insights about anxiety and depression. Cool blues and greens tend to be calming colors that may ease anxiety. Warm yellows, reds, and pinks can provide uplifting contrast against the darkness of depression. By carefully incorporating color, individuals may find additional tools to brighten their mental health.