Hi everyone!
I’ve decided to do an inquiry project for this cycle, but instead of continuing with my last question “How is one’s personality formed?”, I’ve decided to research yet another psychology related topic. So what I’ve decided on is “How does color affect mental state?”.I personally find this to be a really intriguing topic. I feel like nowadays people are affected by factors in their environment that they may not believe has any affect. It could be anything – from noise, to people, to music, and obviously to color. I would say I’m a really observant person. That being said, I’ve noticed that people have a tendency to only focus on what’s right in front of them instead of the bigger picture. With this research, I hope that in the community around me, people can learn about something small, such as color can affect their well being. I feel like this research will really emphasize the whole concept of “The Butterfly Effect”. Which in case you didn’t know, it basically means that the small things can have a big impact. I’m really looking forward to start this research and I hope everyone can take something from it.
Therefore, here’s my research plan:
Research Round 1
For my first round of research, I thought it would be best to first define what color is, how people perceive color, and finally what typically each color can represent- for an example moods or association. I also want to include research about color psychology in this round because I find it very interesting as well. This will help me further address my question in my third research round where I will be applying everything I’ve learned.
Potential sources:
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/home/F_What_is_Color.html
http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.colorpsychology.org/amp/
Research Round 2
For my second round of research, 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. Similar to last round, this will help me address my question in the next round.
Potential sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK320/
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/building-better-mental-health.htm
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154543.php
Research Round 3
For my final round of research, 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.
Potential sources:
https://deserthopetreatment.com/addiction-treatment/psychology/color-theory/
If you have any questions, comments or ideas for me, feel free to let me know. Thanks for reading!
Hey Rhea!
I think this inquiry question is really fascinating! We talk a lot about how colours are correlated with different emotions (red=anger, blue=sadness, etc.); however, I haven’t thought too much about how it can affect mental state. It might also be interesting to look into whether or not the way in which colour can affect one’s mood varies per person. More specifically, does each colour affect everyone the same way or not?
Here are some sources that may be of use to you:
https://99designs.ca/blog/tips/how-color-impacts-emotions-and-behaviors/
https://www.scienceofpeople.com/color-psychology/
Hi Rhea! I feel like we’ve all seen those mood meters before, the ones showing that red is angry, blue is sad and yellow is excited, but I’ve always thought, “Is that really the case?”. Throughout my life I have found some colors to be more soothing than others. Some make me more anxious or even claustrophobic. But I’ve never really understood why. I look forward to your future posts answering that very question.
Some resources you could use are:
http://renketkisi.com/en/psychology-and-color.html
https://www.verywellmind.com/color-psychology-2795824
Hi Rhea,
Wow! Once again, another great post. It was very organized and easy to follow. Even so, it’s true how the impact of color on our mental state is often overlooked. Perceiving color is something we can’t separate from our daily lives. It impacts our emotions, productivity, communication and learning.
One of the first things that came to my mind when I read your inquiry was how the color in school buildings are always the same. I remember someone telling me how neutral colors are supposed to reflect calmness, something you need in a high school. Thus, the use of color helps define a hallway/room’s purpose. Think about when we were in elementary school: we used to have colorful classrooms that really helped build the foundations of our learning. However, in high school, everything is neutral. I believe it’s because it’ll reflect the “emotions” that we should be feeling. For example, students should be focused and calm. Nonetheless, this is something you should investigate in your research rounds. Perhaps you could tie it in at the very end!
In your first research round, when you discuss what each color represents, some concepts that you should investigate is what color can destress someone and improve memory. Perhaps this may link to the school wallpaper example I just mentioned! It’ll also be intriguing if you researched if what color you WEAR can affect your mood as well. In high school, I find that a lot of people wear black. How does that influence people’s mood?
Here are some websites:
https://smithsystem.com/resource-library/article-library/color-world/
https://www.scienceofpeople.com/color-psychology/
http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours
Great post!
Alison
Hi Rhea,
This sounds interesting! I love that you linked your project to the butterfly effect. I think that colour affect different people in different ways. Maybe it depends on their personality? You could connect your last project and the one you are working on now. I have researched colour theory because I have to teach it at my studio. You could look into if different combinations of colours affect people differently over individual colours. For example, an analogous colour scheme (three colours beside each other on a colour wheel) creates a comfortable mood and could make a person feel calm.
Here are some (hopefully useful sources)
https://www.verywellmind.com/color-psychology-2795824
https://99designs.ca/blog/tips/how-color-impacts-emotions-and-behaviors/
http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours
Good luck!
Hey Rhea,
I am also very interested in psychology, and I have heard of how colour can effect someone, although I have never researched it on my own. I think it may be interesting if you looked into how colour can be used to affect people especially in businesses and advertsing where it can be used to make someone more likely to buy or use a product. I have heard (however, I am not certain) that that is why Facebook is blue. It was designed to be calming or something of that sort. Or, you could look into how colour affects art and movies, and how things are then percieved.
Here are some sources I hope you find helpful:
https://munsell.com/color-blog/color-psychology-manipulation/
premiumbeat.com/blog/manipulate-emotions-with-color-in-film/
https://www.briality.com/colors-manipulate-brain-mood/
https://neilpatel.com/blog/the-psychology-of-color-how-to-use-colors-to-increase-conversion-rate/
https://www.businessinsider.com/branding-and-the-psychology-of-color-2012-12
I’m really looking forward to reading your first research round!
Ellen