There's also some scientific research indicating that due to the short wavelengths of cooler colors and how our cones perceive them, greens and blues are the most relaxing to our eyes. Easily put, greens and blues colors are simply less tiring to the eye."
Dark blue shades were most often associated with a feeling of calm. Professor Anna Franklin from the University of Sussex's school of psychology suggested in a blog post that 'colour preference' could be driven by 'how colour is encoded by sensory mechanisms in the eye and brain'.
The consensus is that the "non-colours", white and black, and the colours yellow, green, and orange are generally most acceptable. These colours (yellow, green, orange) are in the middle of the visible spectrum (the range of colours that our eyes can detect) and are the easiest for the eye to see.
1. Blue light. According to a 2017 study in the scientific journal PLOS ONE (9), blue lighting “accelerates the relaxation process after stress in comparison with conventional white lighting.” This study found that stressed people immersed in blue light relaxed three times as quickly as in white light.
Green – Quiet and restful, green is a soothing color that can invite harmony and diffuse anxiety. Blue – A highly peaceful color, blue can be especially helpful for stress management because it can encourage a powerful sense of calm.
Research studies discovered red to be the best color light to help you sleep, because it increases production of melatonin as well as full darkness. On the other end of the spectrum, blue is the worst. Despite being a calm-inducing color on most occasions, blue is not suitable for lighting a bedroom.
According to color psychologists, the most stressful and anxiety-inducing color is 'red'. Red room ideas can be too intense for some people – could your red decor be one of the reasons why your friends hate your house? It reminds us of danger and is a color that makes you angry.
Studies have shown that blue and green can create a calming atmosphere; orange and yellow can stimulate appetite; red and pink can inspire passion and energy; while purple can boost creativity and productivity.
The green ribbon is the international symbol of mental health awareness. Wear a green ribbon to show colleagues, loved ones or simply those you walk past that you care about their mental health.
Happy colors are usually thought to be bright, warm shades, like yellow, orange, pink and red, or pastels, like peach, light pink and lilac. The brighter and lighter the color, the happier and more optimistic it can make you feel.
Avoiding colors that can induce anxiety is a good start. Stay away from bright, bold, and intense colors. Colors like red and orange increase anxiety and stress, sometimes even fear. Red and orange are associated with an emergency that can elicit images of emergency vehicles with their lights and sirens on.
Red can trigger anxiety in many people, and is known to be one of the most stressful colors to decorate with.
Yellow is widely recognized as the happiest color in the world and comes with a scientific pedigree to back up this esteemed honor. Research has suggested two main reasons why yellow is considered the happiest color. Many studies have linked the psychological powers of yellow to the sun.
Red is the answer to the question of what color of light helps you sleep. Red light causes your brain to produce the sleep hormone melatonin, a hormone released into the body from the pineal gland that helps you mentally and physically relax while you drift off to sleep.
Red – This bright hue is very energetic and stimulates many senses, which lead directly to your appetite. This is why many fast-food chains include red in their signage and decor. Yellow – Many restaurants also include yellow in their decor, as it is known to increase appetite as well.
Red. Red has always been associated with health, vigor, and love and has increased metabolic activity. This trait makes it the perfect appetite accelerator and a prime color for drinks. Being associated with the red color means raised temperature and blood pressure, which leads to increased thirst.
In addition to gray, blue is a color often aligned with low mood, particularly sadness, though the tone of blue may impact how you feel about it. A 2017 study found that dark blue was the color most linked to depression.
Blue the Color of Peace
As a primary color (and the most popular color on the spectrum), blue is a building block for many other colors and shades, but in its purest form, blue represents peace and tranquility.
The human brain color physically is white, black, and red-pinkish while it is alive and pulsating. Images of pink brains are relative to their actual state. The brains seen in movies exhibit white, gray, and yellow shadows because they are disconnected from the blood and oxygen flow.
Nervous Colors
Also known as cool colors, they're often linked to fear and anxiety. The typical nervous colors include gray, purple, and blue.
"Shades of blue or green are always very calming. Blues are especially known to have a relaxing effect perfect for creating a serene feeling at home," says Nicole Gibbons, interior designer and founder of Clare Paint.
Not necessarily an energy nor calm inducing colour, white gives a happy medium that leaves you feeling clean. White rooms give an automatic feel of cleanliness and purity. The colour white itself stands for protection, innocence and goodness, to name a few.
Sadness. “Gray” was the most frequent color indicated for sadness, followed by “indigo” and then “black” (Figure 1). The intensities for all three colors were moderate (Table 2).
Green is the color of nature; it emits a feeling of balance, harmony and growth. It signifies health, serenity, and tranquility.