Hey everyone,
First, I’m sorry this is up late; I had posted it way before but I went on the site today and saw that for some reason it was not there so I guess it did not post.
This is my second round of research with my question “How does color affect mental state?”. For this round, I will be researching about what a mental state and what is considered a healthy mental state. This would include topics such as what makes up a healthy mental state, what makes up an unhealthy one and what factors actually contribute to shape a mental state.
What is a mental state?
A mental state is a state of mind that one is in. Basically, a mental state is a mental condition. It’s a relationship that would be connecting the person with a proposition. Some of these states are a combination of different mental representations and different propositional attitudes. Some states of mind that a person experiences are love, hate, pleasure and pain, and some attitudes toward propositions are believing that, conceiving that, hoping and fearing that, etc.(1)
Scientists have traditionally assumed that different kinds of mental states actually relate to different psychological faculties that have domain-specific correlates in the brain.
During every moment of life, a human mind consists of many kinds of mental states. These mental states are more known as emotions, cognitions, perceptions, etc. (2)
Unhealthy mind
Much like a lot in life, you aren’t born with an unhealthy mind; it’s made over time. Many people face situations that take a toll on their mental health which can be effective for the rest of their lives. If an unhealthy mind is found in children and teens and it is ignored, it can cause dangerous issues in their adulthood which is why it’s important to get treatment. (3)
Here are some factors that can create unhealthy minds:
- Abuse of alcohol and drugs(4)
- Physical inactivity(4)
- Poor sleep or lack of sleep(4)
- Experiencing distress over a long period(4)
- Being in a violent environment(4)
- Poverty(4)
- Poor food and nutrition (4)
- Being bullied(4)
- Being isolated and excluded(4)
Healthy mind
Having a healthy mind will help you navigate through your life very smoothly. However, it has been found that some people do not know how it is that you obtain one. (4)
Steps one can take to obtain a healthy mind include the following:
- Being active – Exercising makes you feel good and can help your mental health. It will also help you sleep better so you can have a good rest. (4)
- Healthy eating- Eating well will make your body and mind feel a lot better. This would also include reducing intake of alcohol as the overuse of alcohol can increase depressive feelings. (4)
- Friends and family- Talking to others about feelings can make you feel a lot better. It’s especially important right now to stay connected with everyone. (4)
- Learning – Learning new skills, facts, etc all contribute to having a healthy mind. To keep your mind healthy, you can learn a new sport, language, learn to play an instrument, read books and anything that makes you challenge yourself in a good way. (4)
1.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_state
2.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3453527/
3.https://trailscarolina.com/blog/healthy-body-unhealthy-mind-improving-teen-mental-health/
Next time,I will be linking the two previous rounds and actually try to determine what impacts color can have on a person’s mental state and mental health. I’ll look into this with a lot of depth, especially color theory. I will essentially be trying to come up with a conclusion to my question. If you have any ideas, questions or comments for me, feel free to let me know. Thanks for reading!
Hi Rhea,
Again loved reading your post it is such an interesting topic that you have chosen and I believe that this can help so many people change their mind set early enough to ensure its healthy and they don’t fall into having an unhealthy mindset. After reading this round of your research it was crazy how much I could relate based on the make ups of unhealthy and healthy…how the exercising and eating may affect our mental health is so true.
Don’t quite have any suggestions what you might be able to do in your next round. Love the direction your are headed can’t wait to read more 🙂
Hi Rhea,
Great round of research! It was nicely organized and you made it easy to read. Your question is one I never would have thought of, and I’m excited to see what you pull together in your next round of research! I definitely agree with the part about exercising being an important step towards having a healthy mind – often times I think that I would feel better if I simply didn’t exercise because I won’t have to go through the discomfort experienced when exercising, but really, I feel so much better and more refreshed once I exercise. Suddenly, I feel much happier and I feel as though I can actually concentrate and get things done.
With colour… I wonder if perhaps there are certain colours that mean different things to different people or make them experience different emotions based on personal experiences that they have had with that colour? For example, blue is generally associated with sadness, but to me it usually gives me a feeling of happiness, belonging and comfort because so many things in my home are blue (because it is my sister’s favourite colour), so I’ve practically grown up with that colour. And then, my grandmother hates a certain shade of yellow because it reminds her of sickness from when she worked as a nurse.
Anyways, that’s just a thought. Here are some websites you might find useful:
https://deserthopetreatment.com/addiction-treatment/psychology/color-theory/
https://www.verywellmind.com/color-psychology-2795824
http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours
Good luck!
Hey Rhea,
Your research rounds are really interesting. I love the way you organized all of your points so clearly, and kept everything precise. You said that many people face situations that cause their mental health problems, but I was wondering if that was always the case. I know that many mental illnesses are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, and although, yes, it can be circumstantial, I thought that it often stems from biology or other factors. (As you can probably tell) I haven’t looked into any of this very recently, but I was just curious about their causes. Or maybe I just completely misunderstood what you were talking about.
I can’t wait to read your third research round, but for now here are some sources you might be able to use:
https://99designs.ca/blog/tips/the-7-step-guide-to-understanding-color-theory/
https://www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/basic-color-theory
https://99designs.ca/blog/tips/how-color-impacts-emotions-and-behaviors/
https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/color-psychology
Hi Rhea,
Awesome post! Your topic is super unique, and I really like how you used this round to specifically look at what a mental state is, and how to maintain a healthy mental state. This will surely help you to answer your overall inquiry question by giving you some background knowledge and basic understanding.
I connected with how you mentioned that staying active is one of many ways to maintain a healthy mind. I’ve learned this from my experience playing soccer and doing other activities like skiing, hiking and water sports. After the activity, I always feel so happy and refreshed.
After reading what your inquiry question was, I instantly made another connection to a memory from a really long time ago. Back in grade 4 or 5, my teacher showed my class a painting. The painting was quite colourful, but the colour red was only used in one very specific spot. There was a person walking down the street with a red rain hat on. Before pointing this out, my teacher asked the class what the first thing was we looked at on the painting when she brought it out. Most of the class said it was the red hat. I remember that my teacher went on the explain something about how we are drawn to the colour red because of how bright and vibrant and bold it is. This is why our stop signs on the road are red. Now, I am not sure what the research or explanation or evidence is behind this, but it was just an instant connection I made to your current topic which I thought might be neat to share with you! 🙂
Here are some websites that might help you in your third round of research:
http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours
https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/ColourBreathing.pdf
https://www.colorpsychology.org/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/people-places-and-things/201504/the-surprising-effect-color-your-mind-and-mood
Great job, looking forward to your next post!
– Madison Ciulla
Hey Rhea,
I really enjoyed reading your post! I like how you had an organized format and good information! Since you’re technically asking if colour can change a person’s mental state/improve, maybe you could also ask if it has more impact on people with open minds or people with colour synaesthesia (seeing letters and numbers in colour).
Here are some (hopefully) helpful links.
https://synesthesia.com/blog/grapheme-color-synesthesia/
https://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/what-is-synesthesia-and-whats-it-like-to-have-it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKTa7tFqNks
Good luck
Shieva Mokhtarnameh