When I was younger, a classmate presented a paper about how colors affect mood. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but lately I’ve come around. My husband and I have both been pretty down lately. Day after day of grey skies, job rejections for both of us, illness, writing, research not going well, traffic jams, and unexpected expenses, it seemed like it was one thing after another and neither of us could catch a break.

I was at the store replacing my crumbling black loofah, and I reached for a bright yellow one. The thought popped into my head that it would be like a little ball of sunshine in the shower every morning, and you know what? It is.

I noticed more and more that I was choosing things based on how the colors made me feel, rather than what my favorite color is. I bought the orange candle instead of the blue. I’d go to the coffee shop with the light brown walls and wooden tables instead of the one with the neon-green walls and aluminum tables.  I bought the pink flowers instead of the mixed bouquet. I wore the brown slacks instead of the black.

Having noticed this new trend, I did a quick search on the meaning of colors (since I forgot most of what my classmate said).  To sum it up, this is what I found.

Pink – soothing

Red – passion and excitement

Blue – relaxing but can cause exhaustion

Green – nurturing

Yellow – energy and brightness

Purple — healing
It’s not a cure-all by any means, but it is adding a little bit of happiness on a grey day!

Do you find that colors affect your mood?

-ML