How Color can have an Impact on Mood and Productivity

 

How Color can have an Impact on Mood and Productivity

 

 

            In a very interesting seminar I attended, I learned just how important and impactful, color can have on your mood and productivity. On Tuesday, March 24, I was able to attend and listen to Donald Rattner’s Quick Live seminar at Fairfield University where he talked about how colors and certain designs of furniture can aid people (in our case students) in thinking creatively and/or analytically. I loved listening to this seminar because I have always been fascinated with interior design. In anywhere I go I always make note of how the space is designed and laid out. For some people they do not care how things look, but for me it is more impactful. The smallest things can make a huge difference on how one feels about a certain place. For example, whenever I go to a restaurant and go to the bathroom, I make note of how it is designed. Is it clean? Does it have decorations? Does it match the rest of the atheistic of the restaurant? Does it have music playing? If a bathroom is not designed properly then it makes me think less of the restaurant because that means that they do not care about appearance. It is the smallest details that make the largest impact on a space.

In my freshman college dorm room, I was given a blank white cell. I had to figure out how to make it my own while staying in the dorm guidelines. To personalize the space, I covered my walls in fake vines, tapestries, posters, pictures, knick-knacks, and art. Every time I had a visitor, they would always mention how much they loved my decorations. Having a room that was decorated with my own past and interests was so crucial to my well-being and state of happiness. I even put glow in the dark stars on my ceilings so when I looked up at night, I saw something that I put there. 

Rattner brings up a very interesting point on the science behind the colors red and blue. In multiple studies, two groups were given rooms painted and decorated with both colors. The room that was blue boosted creative thinking within the subjects and in contrast the room that was red boosted analytical thinking. I have always associated these colors with these thinking patterns. 

I have noticed around Fairfield University that red is used very often throughout the campus. This might be since the school’s colors are red, white, and black. White and black only accompany red to make it bolder. I wonder if the school put red everywhere on purpose (in the sense that it would make the students more analytical). I feel as though Fairfield is a much more analytical school than creative so I would not be surprised if the school painted their walls and used frequent red decorations to subconsciously drive their students to think analytically. 

I prefer blue because it makes me feel more calm and serene whereas, when I see red it makes me feel tense. I associate red with anger and anxiety. It can even make me feel stressed at times because it makes me feel like I must be doing something (by something I mean homework, studying, and/or reading). If I had the opportunity to give advice to the interior designer at Fairfield University I would suggest that they incorporate more blue tones into the dorm rooms and shared spaces.

I added a picture of the author and seminar speaker, Donald Rattner. I highly suggest checking out his work.