Color can impact the human brain in a variety of ways. Seeing something beautiful can lighten the mood, but living in a drudge of the same colors over and over can leave our psyche frail and our enthusiasm dull. Even just wearing the right color can impact our behavior in surprising ways. Once we become familiar with the connection between the brain and the colors it perceives, one thing becomes obvious: To master our minds, we must also master the use of color. 

Is Color Good For The Brain? 

Over the course of our lives, humans build up conscious thought patterns and stories that impact our thoughts, feelings, and ultimately behavior. These conscious decisions build up over time, until the routine of our everyday thoughts becomes an automatic process relegated to the realm of the subconscious. Color bypasses conscious thought, and taps into both our subconscious automatic mind, and our ancient unconscious “lizard brain”. Therefore, through color, we can access the feelings we have been conditioned to avoid.

“Colors are the mother tongue of the subconscious.” – Carl Jung

How Do Colors Affect The Brain? 

Warmer hues such as red, orange, and yellow are associated with excitement, passion, and arousal, while colder colors such as blue, green, and purple are associated with calmness, teamwork, and relaxation. In combat sports like boxing or wrestling, players wearing red are, on average, slightly more likely to win. However, in team sports and some more of the more contemplative martial arts, players wearing blue were slightly more likely to win.

What Colors Improve Mental Health?

The answer is more complicated than you might think. Different colors impact the brain in different ways and are therefore different tools to keep on hand for managing your mood. Here are some of the most common associations of color and feeling:

• Red is associated with romance, activity, intensity, passion and warmth.

• Orange is associated with enthusiasm, excitement, attention, and adventure.

• Yellow is associated with optimism, happiness, laughter, and hunger.

• Green is associated with growth, nature, health, harmony, and fertility.

• Blue is associated with calmness, focus, truthfulness, and serenity. 

• Purple is associated with wealth, wisdom, sophistication, and mystery.

How Do I Incorporate Color Into My Life?

So, if color can be so mood-altering,  life-changing, and so on, how do we actually use it to live a more fulfilling life? Adult coloring books have become all the rage as we begin to recognize the psychological benefits of living a life in stunning color. More and more adults are turning their skin into canvases for color and meaning. However, the most proud impact that color has had on my life is through the practice of art therapy. 

How Do I Use Color In My Art Therapy? 

Art therapy can, of course, be done with whatever you have on hand. But incorporating color into your practice can be illuminating due to the connection between color and the subconscious. The colors we choose and why we choose them are meaningful. By coloring with intention, we can gain valuable insights into the areas of our mind often left in the periphery. 

Wisdom About Color From Our Team’s Art Therapist, Quinn:

“Intuitively, it is easy to see how color plays a vital role in the health of our minds. We adorn our buildings, homes, and items with colors that make our soul gleam with satisfaction. However, there are numerous ways to understand how color truly impacts us, and our brain. We can describe the effect of color by examining it in the context of the Expressive Therapies Continuum, a useful method art therapists use when working with clients. Color is part of every pole of this continuum. 

The ETC is made up of three sets of poles, each reflecting information processing in the brain and the way art connects to the human experience. What we learn through viewing color in this way, is that color affects us on a sensory, emotional, and symbolic level. It is part of the sensory experience. In fact, the way colors are combined, mixed, and assorted, can actually have an impact on our amyglada, a critical part of our brain. 

Color can be symbolic as well. Symbolism is a manifestation of many elements that have become unconscious in our lives. The brain is a mysterious place, but color can help clue people into memories, parts of self, and emotional states.”

Integrative Counsel proudly offers virtual Art Therapy with Quinn. Quinn uses virtual art therapy to treat individuals with OCD and Anxiety, as well as those undergoing a major life transition or adjustment and are  experiencing grief. Click here to schedule your virtual art therapy session!

Sunny Ebsary is an educator, multi-modal artist, and writer specializing in the intersection of myth and mental health. Sunny’s writing walks the line between poetic and logical, giving readers a chance to interface with the mind and imagination. Sunny’s been putting pen to paper since he was a child, writing everything from albums, novels, and plays, to essays, interactive games, and of course, many articles! While studying both psychology and writing, he realized his real passion in life was helping others unlock their creative spark. Whether he’s leading a D&D game, directing a production, or diving deep into the brain, you can be sure Sunny will be ushering you toward finding meaning in your life.