Color Therapy: How Colors Can Heal MindBodyGreen

It's no secret that individual colors are related to specific emotions and moods — red to love, yellow to happiness, and so on. That said, it's easy to forget these associations when you're repainting a room — and often, choosing the right color can positively affect your feelings.

MindBodyGreen has published a helpful list which is worth keeping for the next time you have a project and need a bit of emotional healing. Some associations from their list that I hadn't thought of before include yellow for optimism, blue for wisdom, purple for respect, and brown for stability. If you're currently picking colors for a room and feel stuck, or even if you're down to two and can't decide, reading through the associations may help you choose the perfect color.

See the full list at MindBodyGreen.

(Images: MindBodyGreen)

Categories: Style, Main, Color, Healthy Living, Mindful Living, Painting

Posted by Kathleen Luttschyn

Kathleen is a freelance editor who lives in Chicago. She loves eclectic rooms, traveling with her family, and feeding anyone who steps foot in her house. She theoretically hates clutter, but can’t stop buying books and craft supplies.
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Comments (5)

I'd be interested in seeing how the results change if you are colorblind

I went to MindBodyGreen and looked at their list. While I generally agree that color affects mood, I didn't agree with some of the meanings given to colors on the site. The list has a bunch of superficial associations: green is money- envy- wealth- fertility; black is evil -power- slimming- death or mourning.

I"m not saying they are wrong, so much as that it all depends. The way colors influence moods is highly subjective and personal, based on a lifetime of associations and experiences. I used to really hate the color orange - it actually made my skin crawl - far from 'happy, energetic, enthusiastic ' etc. (I like orange now, btw).

Yes, absolutely, decorate with colors that lift your mood, but choose by instinct, not from a list.

What is this pseudoscientific nonsense? First the porn column, and now this? Apartment Therapy, cure thyself!

The emotional and mental associations that are formed with different colors are VERY much affected by cultural influence. For (an obvious) example, in China, Japan, and much of Eastern Asia the color white is associated with death and mourning, not black.

Color relationships are highly subjective, and this list is sadly very myopic and doesn't do a rather complex subject justice.

PollyS -- your forgot the "most relaxing song" column.

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