The Mood Boosting Benefits of Primary Colors in the Home

Color is IN again!!!  And thank goodness because when used wisely, colors can play a significant role in creating a happy home life.

We are affected psychologically and physiologically by colors.  Colors affect our mood, heart rate, alertness, and stress levels.  The perception of color is mostly rooted in the subconscious and our relationships with colors are impacted by personal life experiences.

In this third post of the Happy by Design series, I cover the impacts of primary colors on the mind and body and offer suggestions for coloring your home with happiness.

Red & the Physiology of Color

As the color on the highest end of the light spectrum, red has the longest wavelength and is the first color babies are able to distinguish.

Of all the colors on the wheel, red is the most powerful!  It brings to mind red-hot rage and romance.  It’s the color of cupid and the devil, roses and poison, fruit and fire.  It says stop, danger, anger, revenge…and sex, love, desire, and courage.

How can this one color communicate so many contradictory emotions and symbols?

It’s now understood that the human eye plays a physiological roll beyond just sight.  Some retinal ganglion cells found in the eye send signals to the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that plays no part in forming visual images. 

The hypothalamus coordinates the autonomic nervous system and the activity of the pituitary gland, both of which release hormones.  The hypothalamus is responsible for many aspects of the body’s self-regulation, including the control of body temperature, blood pressure, sex drive, sleep, and emotional activity.

This means that when the eye visually detects a color, some of the information communicated from that color is transmitted to the hypothalamus and the body physically responds with the secretion of hormones.

This is also true for people with monochromatic vision, or total color blindness.  These people are only able to see the world on a grey scale ranging from black to white, however the signals sent by colors still triggers the release of hormones and a physiological reaction.

It’s been found that red increases heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, metabolism, perspiration, respiration, and number of eye blinks.  All of these physiological changes increase your physical excitement and cause your energy levels to spike.

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