I wore bright colors every day of this work week and it had this effect on my mood

Did you know that colors are scientifically proven to change your mood?

They affect our heart rate, respiration and blood flow. Different colors have different effects on the body, and as you can probably guess, warmer colors typically create more positive feelings overall than cooler, dark shades.

So, what would happen if you actually wore bright colors every day of the week? Would you instantly feel happier? Research says yes. “We tend to mirror our environment in the clothes that we wear,” said Leslie Harrington, executive director of the Color Association of the US in an article for HuffPost.

Wearing colors actually influences how people think and feel. Colors can also influence people’s opinion, and can often be a helpful tool in an interview to land a job. With all of this data, I decided to test the happiness theory for myself. 

Yes, I did feel happier

As crazy as it sounds, my mood did improve. Call it a placebo effect, but knowing I was wearing positive colors made me feel more energized.

I also liked looking into the mirror and seeing pretty jewel tones as opposed to the usual black ensembles I always wear. Now, this isn’t to say I was constantly in a better mood or felt 

People responded better to me

I think that your clothes reflect your energy and vis versa. I believe people can tell a lot about a person’s personality by what they wear. On a personal note, I am a news reporter.

I have to go interview people on a daily basis. I noticed that when I wore a brighter color, like pink, people seemed more friendly. I don’t know how to explain it other than they would smile bigger when they saw me, joke around more and acted more freely.

Could this have just been their personality? Probably. But could it have also been that they felt less intimidated, and their brains sent out more positive signals from seeing a bright color? Potentially.

The psychology behind this theory

While in theory, it makes sense that brighter colors evoke more positive emotions, how exactly does this happen? Referring back to the HuffPost article mentioned above, Harrington says that certain colors have certain associations to them that link to how we feel and behave. “Warmer colors, brighter colors, we always talk about them being happier.

That’s because they make us feel happy when we look at them,” she said. Colors produce hormones called endorphins (the same chemical released during exercise) that make us feel energized and happy.

Colors are also associated with objects they represent that bring us certain emotions. For example, the color yellow can remind us of the sun, and invoke positive feelings.

For some, black reminds them of a funeral or something dark, and thus those emotions develop within them. Our brain makes connections that correlate colors to certain memories, and in turn, those memories bring certain emotions to the foreground.

So yes, colors can affect your mood. If not for you, they can most certainly affect someone else’s mood.

If you’d like to have an extra pep in your step for the workday, try wearing some jewel-toned outfits or bright colors – you may be surprised at how you feel.