235 - Friday Fix: Surprising Ways Colors Affect How You Feel and Behave

A town in Scotland made its street lights blue, and the crime rate decreased. Casinos keep people gambling at their tables longer by making the tabletops red. Those are just a couple of fascinating examples of how color affects behavior.

The colors around you can have a bigger impact on you than you might think. Colors evoke emotions. And they can affect your choices and your performance. 

Companies know this, so they use color to their advantage. Everything from logos to website colors is created to cause you to feel a certain way. 

The color of the walls in a store or a restaurant is often based on what the owner wants you to feel. Do they want you to slow down and relax so you’ll stick around and spend more money? Or do they want to energize you so you’ll make impulse purchases?

Learning a bit about color psychology might help you better understand how companies try to use your emotions to their advantage. You can also use your knowledge of color psychology to create an environment that will help you be your best when you’re working, when you’re eating, or when you’re relaxing.