Have You Heard of the Yellow Room?

Have You Heard of the Yellow Room?

I think we have all heard how color can affect our mood, right? A sort of color psychology I guess some would say. Not what the color stands for, but how it really can affect how you feel. Studies, apparently, have shown that red, for instance can cause feelings of excitement for some, energy and for some, love. The color orange can help one feel more confident, yellow happy, green can supposedly make a person feel healthier. The color blue is said to cause a peaceful and tranquil feeling.

I did a little reading up on this and found out that it was Sir Issac Newton who discovered the ‘psychology’ of color way back in 1666.

Makes me wonder why prisons and schools aren’t blue to encourage feelings of calm. Hospital a bright green for feelings of health and nursing homes aren’t all painted yellow to stave off depression!

I remember reading in one study of college kids shown the color red for a period of time just before an exam and their test scores were lower than expected.

Companies that want your money have been using color psychology for years usually seen in their choice of colors used in a logo.

This does not mean it is a given for everyone. Individuals can absolutely have a different opinion of what a color means to them which stems from just personal opinion, environment or something that happened to us in a green room. Black, for instance for some is scary and mysterious, while others find it to be sexy and a sign of sophistication.

There are those in the healthcare industry who use color as a form of therapy. Blue to treat illness and pain, red is supposed to increase circulation and orange to increase energy levels. Have you noticed most of the heating pads are a soft pale blue color?

Are we brainwashed on some of the ways we associate color? Red light are red that make us stop. Red ink is used all through school to tell us what we did wrong on our tests and exams. A red fire truck tells us there is a fire somewhere. We wear black to funerals and those who participate in the whole gothic or occult seem to like wearing black. We are told that black cats are a bad omen. We perceive people who wear bright colors as happier people than those who wear dark colors. We probably all grow up with some bias when it comes to various colors.

So what is the yellow room story? Well, years ago I worked at an insurance company, in one of those cubicles that had nice, calming blue cloth covered panels. My co-worker, Seth worked in the cubicle next to mine. Him and his wife, after three years had a baby and decided they needed a bit more room than the one bedroom apartment they were currently in. They were thrilled when they found a beautiful home just outside of town with a big front porch. Before moving in they wanted to do some re-carpeting and painting. Just a little fixing up. One thing they both agree on was to get rid of the ugly yellow half bath off the kitchen. They decided they would paint it a nice neutral white.

The little half bath, because the contractors used it, kept getting put off while all the other larger jobs were getting ticked off the list. Seth and his wife went over every weekend to work on the house themselves, cleaning and painting too, so they too used the little ugly yellow half bath off the kitchen.

He said he was noticing that every time he came out of the half bath he felt better than when he went in. As if his mood had been lifted. He brought it up to his wife at supper one evening and she reported the same. After being in the little half bath she would feel happier. She even said she got to where she lingered in there longer than she actually needed to be. He admitted to her, that he had done the same thing. They decided it must be the yellow color!

Ultimately, the fate of the ugly yellow half bath off the kitchen got a fresh coat of, yes, bright yellow paint and we can assume that if anyone is feeling sad they are banished to the yellow room until they feel better.

If you would like to do some further reading and incorporate some color psychology into your life I recommend the following book by Karen Haller: “The Little Book of Colour” https://amzn.to/3SziaIa