By Katrina Murphy
Editor in Chief
The colors you surround yourself can say a lot about you and how you feel, according to the College Student Journal.
In a 1999 study conducted by H. Linton, colors can be associated with different emotions while some emotions are associated with more than one color.
For instance, the color red is often related to romance and love, while the color yellow evokes a feeling of happiness.
The colors you choose to surround yourself with, such as the color of your bedroom walls, will have an impact on how you think and feel on a daily basis.
So how do you determine which colors are best for you?
Below is a breakdown of what each color means, as researched by the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
Red
The color of blood, red is often associated with danger, power, energy and war. For instance, the flags of some of the most powerful nations (the United States, China, France and Britain), all have the color red as a predominant feature.
However, despite its negative connotations, the color also has positive health effects as well.
It is said to enhance metabolism, raise blood pressure and increase respiration rates, which allows the body to operate more quickly.
If you are looking to surround yourself with feelings of love and energy, then red would be the choice for you.
Orange
Often combined with red and yellow to represent the sun, a common symbol of happiness, orange is associated with joy, energy, creativity, and encouragement.
Not only does the color increase the amount of oxygen supplied to the brain, but it also stimulates mental activity, which is great for studious individuals looking for a pick-me-up.
It also represents healthy foods (oranges) and stimulates appetite, as well as gives a feeling of strength and endurance.
The color is highly visible and will catch attention, so if you are looking to attract people to you and your living space, this would be the correct choice for you.
Yellow
This color immediately evokes feelings of energy, happiness and intellect, and produces a warming effect that stimulates mental activity.
Pure yellow attracts attention (taxi cabs) while yellow mixed with black produces a warning message (bees).
However, too much yellow can ruin the desired effect of happiness. Studies have shown that babies who are placed in yellow rooms for a long period of time development moody behaviors to counter-balance the overpowering color.
If yellow is your choice, go with it with hesitation. Too much can be overpowering while too little can become dingy and lose its desired effects.
Green
Harmony, freshness, fertility and wealth are often the first terms that come to mind when thinking of the color green.
It can improve vision, stability and endurance, and is a symbol of safety, which is why it is used in traffic lights.
There is speculation that surrounding yourself in a green setting will improve your chances at becoming wealthy. However, green can also denote a lack of experience (i.e. the term “greenhorn”) and dark green symbolizes jealousy and greed.
But if you are looking for a setting that will provide you with a sense of growth and openness, try an aqua or olive green shade.
Blue
Perhaps the most calming of all colors, blue symbolizes loyalty, truth, and confidence.
It is also beneficial to the body because it slows the metabolism and provides a sense of calm and serenity. Blue is also associated with tranquility and calmness, and can be used to evoke a sense of stability.
Because it causes the body to relax and slow, the color should be used with caution. Try to avoid using it in the kitchen area because it often suppresses the appetite.
However, when used with warmer colors, such as red or yellow, it can create vibrant designs that have a huge impact on a small space.
Purple
Often a symbol of royalty, purple is used to express feelings of power, luxury and ambition. Depending on how it is used, it can also be used to represent extravagance, mystery and wisdom.
Light purple often is attached to females because it is very delicate and soft, such as a lilac shade.
Dark purple, on the other hand, often evokes feelings of sadness and frustration because it is close to black.
If you’re thinking that you want to use purple in your home, try to paint just one wall at first to make sure the shade matches the correct feeling you’re trying to allude to.
White
Associated with virginity, innocence, and purity, white is often used in kitchens and bathrooms to give a feeling of cleanliness and coolness.
However, it is also the color of hospitals, doctor scrubs and sterility, which can bring about fear in some people, so it should be used with caution.
Black
With its negative connotations of death, evilness and destruction, black is often used to represent fear and the unknown. However, on the opposite hand, it also represents strength and authority and is considered a prestigious color by many foreign countries.
While a completely black room may make you feel like you’re sinking into a black hole, it can be used as a backdrop to other colors, such as red or orange.
If you’re still unsure about what color best suits your living space, try this.
Get a small tester can of paint from a local hardware store and just put little test patches on your wall. Once you have all colors on there, stand back and just look at them. Try to imagine those individual colors surrounding the entire room and then imagine how you would feel walking into that room every day.
It’s not something that you will figure out overnight. It’s a long, drawn-out process that often results in painting, repainting, and painting again before you settle on a final color.
Just in case, make sure you get a latex-based paint that is not only easy to clean up (you’ll have those inevitable paint drops on the floor), but easy to cover as well.
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