Last updated on April 28, 2017
Do you wish that you had much more energy during the day to take care of your kids? Do you need a boost of confidence to meet with your new clients? Are you a nervous person? What if I told you that there is a simple way of altering your mood to give you a healthier and better life simply by adding color to your outfits.
Yes, wearing black is slimming and chic but did you know that color is linked to an increase in health and reduces your stress levels. Who doesn’t want that in their life!! Similar to food, home design, gardening, art, and many other areas, diversifying the color in our wardrobe is a definite positive choice. We all know that sunlight is important for our health as well as eating colorful vegetables and that Spring and Summer usually makes people happier. The same applies when you are wearing color. Psychological research shows that when we see color our mind and bodies unconsciously react to it which affects our emotions. (Birren, 2016) Have you ever asked yourself why certain colors make you happy, gloomy, energized, serious, melancholy or serene?
Here is a simple test for you.
If you were a color, which one would you be? Quickly, quickly, what is the first color that comes to mind? Have you ever thought why you choose that color over another or why you tend to gravitate towards specific colors when you are shopping?
Over the years of working in the Fashion Industry, I’ve become enthralled with understanding why a lot of people hesitate to wear color. I will admit, I am the biggest color advocate! Yes, you will get noticed, yes it emphasizes certain body parts, yes it reveals certain emotions and yes it makes people happy or sometimes a little crazy! Although the meaning of color varies from culture to culture, it also depends on your personal association to it. For example the color blue can remind you of a clear blue sky or to the expression « feeling blue ». Listed below are the colors with the different ways that they can affect your behaviour, your health and your frame of mind.
RED
- Red and violet are high-energy colors, wear it when you need a boost.
- Red tends to quicken our reactions.
- Red promotes ideas and actions.
- Red is good if you are chilly and need more warmth.
- Red signifies passion and increases blood flow. A good option to wear on a date.
- Red is good for anemic people.
ORANGE
- Orange stimulates brain activity and encourages movement.
- Orange increases the oxygen to the brain.
- Orange is a friendly color and encourages good communication.
- Orange helps your creativity.
- Deep orange is the most exciting color.
- Medium yellow and oranges have an inspiring effect on the nervous system.
- Orange is uplifting if you are feeling depressed.
YELLOW
- Yellow is the color of warmth and joy.
- Yellow-Green is the most tranquilizing color.
- Yellow represents intelligence and helps with indecision. Great for exams!
- Yellow encourages optimism, reduces fears.
- Yellow can help inflammatory conditions.
- Yellow is associated with self-love.
- Warm colors such as red, yellow, orange are stimulating and good for physical tasks.
- Warm colors are good for lethargic and melancholy people.
GREEN
- Green reduces anxiety.
- Green brings balance to the body.
- Grass green color has an invigorating effect on the nervous system.
- Green is good for meditation.
- Green evokes forgiveness.
- Green is the best color to wear if you blush easily.
- Green will help to develop the ideas and execute tasks
- Green is the color of abundance and health.
- Green or blue is the prefered colors for choleric and nervous people.
- Green is a cool color which is better for routine tasks.
BLUE
- Blue and green are good colors to balance extroverted individuals.
- Blue is calming as it releases oxytocin hormones.
- Blue is the most popular color to wear. Most people like to wear it to work as it represents loyalty and diplomacy.
- Blue is good for people with high blood pressure.
- Blue represents communication and trust. Great for interviews or when you need to have a difficult discussion with someone.
- Blue is the color of spirituality and thought.
- Blue can help insomnia.
- Bright blue will brighten your complexion.
- Blue is a cool color which is better for routine tasks.
TURQUOISE
- Turquoise portrays a sensitive yet imaginative and creative person.
- Turquoise can boost the immune system.
- Turquoise represents youthfulness.
LAVENDER/ VIOLET/ PURPLE
- Lavender and violet have a soothing effect on the nervous system.
- Violet and Purple are the most influential colors.
- Purple is great for leadership, for creativity and for a source of inspiration.
- Purple is the highest spiritual color which can restore peace after you’ve experience a chaotic experience.
- Purple is a cool color which is better for routine tasks.
- Violet and Purple are introverted colors. Good for moments of reflection and solitude.
- Purple encourages compassion.
PINK/FUCHSIA
- Pink is good for women with menopause as it represents youth and femininity.
- Pink has a soothing and has a calming effect on your body.
- Pink is a compassionate and a loving color.
- Pink is a nurturing color great if you work with children, for parents or after a break-up.
- Bright fuchsia can increase blood circulation and relieve headaches
- Pink represents unconditional love. Wear it if you need to heal a wound.
BROWN
- Brown represents stability.
- Brown represents being reliable.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed my post! This can be a way to experiment with wearing color or simply to broaden your understanding of how color can potentially influence your mood and improve your health.
Let me know in the below comments which color you would like to wear more often.
SOURCES:
Birren, Faber. (2016). Color Psychology And Color Therapy: A Factual Study of the Influence of Color on Human Life. Pickle Partners Publishing.
Standish, Jules. (2016). The Essential Guide to Mindful Dressing. O-Books
Professor William Lidwell. How Colors Affect You: What Science Reveals (Great Courses, No. 7022)