How Red Color Affects Your Mood

All colors have an emotional reaction attached to them, even if we aren’t always aware of it. Red color isn’t just the color of blood, it also represents passion and love, and can affect your mood in a number of ways. Here are the psychological effects red color has on your emotions and why you should avoid wearing it if you want to keep a positive attitude!

What is Red?

It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 620–740 nanometers, which in NTSC RGB color space (used in televisions and computer monitors) is denoted by the hex triplet FF0000. This wavelength means that red has one or more photons on average 620–740 times every second that our eyes can detect, making it the most frequent color in the visible spectrum of light on Earth.

Primary Colors

Red, yellow and blue are called primary colors. These colors can’t be made by mixing other colors. Mixing any two of these three will make one of them disappear and something new. This is because red, yellow and blue light come from special kinds of atoms in your TV screen (or computer monitor), so you can only mix them electronically – not by mixing paints or dyes. Red, yellow and blue are also called subtractive primary colors because they work like a digital filter on a camera. A digital filter takes out some parts of a picture - red takes out green, for example - to get an image that looks different than the original scene but more pleasing to your eye in some way.

What is red, anyway?

It's not that red doesn't exist. It's just really really hard to find. Red can be tricky. We perceive color based on our surroundings, and in most circumstances, red tends to be relative to orange, yellow or white (or a combination of all three). This can make it very difficult for us to determine exactly what red is on its own—especially when dealing with objects (like fire) that appear primarily red but are other colors as well. Don't believe me? Check out Color Theory: Green vs. Red. Hopefully you've learned something here! And don't worry if you didn't--this is only meant to demonstrate how tricky it can be defining an objectively existing thing like red that we perceive through interpretation of external stimuli.

The origin of the color

Red dates back to as early as 3500 BC. The ancient Egyptians and Romans valued red pigment, which they also called red lead, and used it in cosmetics and fabric dyes. Ancient Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, and Etruscans used henna to stain their nails red during festivals. In Eastern cultures red was a color of good luck (e.g., Chinese New Year). Meanwhile in medieval Europe people feared that Witches could use red garments to cast spells upon them.

The meaning of the color

The color red has several meanings associated with it. The first is danger. This may seem counterintuitive, but red traffic lights are meant to be read as a signal that danger lies ahead. On most computers, including Macs and PCs, red signifies an error of some kind (as in red-flag, not in spelling). In science fiction shows like Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica, red also represents danger or evil -- often coupled with a warning klaxon sound.

How can we use it in UX design?

Color can evoke powerful emotions. Simply changing one color of a user interface, for example, can drastically alter how users perceive a design and how they behave with it. The way red encourages people to take action has been proved through many different scientific studies. There are certain things you should pay attention to when using red in your designs

Red color influences our mood

It has been a known fact that red color influences our mood. Red symbolizes love, anger, and hate. But more than its symbolism, it has an affect on our mood as well. What does red really do to your psychology? What about other colors? Let’s dig deeper into how color affects your emotions and how you see things around you.

Red stimulates

The color red can affect us physically and psychologically. Psychologically, it’s associated with anger and aggression because of its link to blood, which means that a red room can increase your heart rate and blood pressure if you’re exposed to it for long periods of time. Physically, red stimulates our appetite – so wear a little red at lunchtime!

Red empowers

The color red is an exciting one, and it’s often seen on athletic uniforms. That’s because of a psychological effect called priming. If we are repeatedly exposed to something in our environment, that something begins to have an effect on us – even if we aren’t conscious of it. Think about how many businesses use a red call-to-action button on their site – they know what they are doing!

Red makes us feel warm

It’s not just firetrucks, stop signs and emergency vehicles that are red – some studies have shown that people perceive objects in shades of red as warmer than those in cooler hues. Scientists aren’t entirely sure why; one theory is that it has to do with how our eyes process color; another posits that red is a sign of attraction, while cool colors (blue, green) are more calming.

Red relaxes us, calms us down

Our brains become more aware of our blood flow and heart rate, which is why it's often used in clinics as a therapy. In one study conducted at Ohio State University, people who drank juice mixed with red food coloring were less anxious than those who drank clear fruit juice. The calming effect can reduce stress, boost relaxation and help us sleep better. Those are a few reasons why many experts suggest wearing red when you're trying to lower your stress levels!

Research on red color and emotions

A recent study looked at how red colored rooms affected participants’ mood. In it, researchers asked test subjects to rate their mood after a period of time in a red-colored room and compared those responses to answers given by people in an office and a neutral color room. The results? People who were in a red-colored room reported having significantly better moods than those who were not.

Red boosts physical performance.

According to a study, wearing red can increase physical performance. Men and women in exercise clothing were asked to complete a certain amount of push-ups while wearing different colors. The study results showed that wearing red helped them complete more reps than those who wore blue or white! So try pairing your favorite red shirt with your workout gear for a boost!