Colour psychology deals with the effect of colour on human behaviour. It uses colour theory to understand and explore colour perception and its effects. Even a study done by Lisa Wilms and Daniel Oberfeld proved that colour stimuli have effects on the emotional state of observer.    

According to colour theory, all the colours are divided into two types that are warm colours and cool colours. The human brain associates warm colours such as red, orange and yellow with feelings of anger, power and passion. Cool colours such as blue, green, purple with feelings of calmness, relaxing and also feelings of sadness.

This phenomenon is greatly used by interior designers, artists, web designers to attract people and create a mood to our liking. Here are an example of a few colours and the mood it brings out:

Blue: Tints of blue evoke emotions ranging from calmness to feeling distant and alone. Darker shades evoke feeling of loneliness, disinterest and disconnection. Lighter shades evoke feeling of calmness and reliability. Hospitals and clinics use light blue shades to help anxious patients calm down. Many websites, logos, graphic designs use the light blue shades to show dependability and evoke a feeling of trust.      

Green: Since green is associated with earthly colours it also evokes feeling of calmness and one feels young and healthy. It creates an uplifting atmosphere. However, in literature it symbolizes jealousy and disgust.

Red: Red evokes the most intense moods and feelings. Ranging from love, passion to danger and ager. Red greatly impacts our body by creating stimulating effect, increasing the heart beat and energy of a person. In therapy, it helps patients release their anger and any sort of negative emotions. Red light therapy also has amazing effects for the skin like reducing skin damage, stretch marks, improving facial texture, etc.

Purple: the human brain associates the colour purple with creativity, inspiration and imagination. In history, it is associated with royalty, wealth and superiority. Pastel shades of purple give a calming effect.

Yellow: yellow evokes feelings of happiness and optimism. Yellow catches the eye easily and it produces both positive and negative effects. It makes a person cheerful and happy but it also causes eyestrain and frustration.

Source: Color and emotion: effects of hue, saturation, and brightness – PubMed (nih.gov) How Color Can Affect Your Mood: All About Colors and Emotions – 2023 – MasterClass