Psychological Wellbeing and the Impact of Colours
I just came across a study released in November 06 by Konica-Minolta on the “Impact of Colour” on the psychological wellbeing of employees. Each week for six weeks the colour of the office of an independent fashion recruitment agency was changed and the responses and behaviours were monitored. Six colours were surveyed in total: red, grey, blue, green, yellow and black.
(c) Konica-Minolta
Results: “It’s not just Monday mornings, rush hour or having to work late that can affect the office environment. Colour has a huge impact on the workplace in many ways and its importance shouldn’t be underestimated,” says Robert T Sethre of Konica Minolta.
Employees’ psychological wellbeing was found to be 72% less positive when they were working in a blue environment as opposed to any other colour. They were found to be less positive about their work-life balance (64%), pay and benefits (51%) and job security (40%). Blue creates greater job dissatisfaction and unrest amongst employees.
On the other hand, yellow was found to be the colour to spread a little sunshine through the workplace. The psychological wellbeing of employees with yellow surroundings was found to be 72% more positive, while 85% reported feeling more energised and focused. Employees in a yellow environment were also more positive about their work-life balance.
Fiery red stimulated passions and some employees reported feeling angrier. With black people claim to feel tougher and more macho. The highest proportion of respondents (52%) perceived themselves to be least productive in a grey office, which suggests they find it dull and uninspiring.
Grey and black howevever are the colours of most of the clothes I see here in Switzerland – what a contrast to the bright colours of the sarees in India… Have a look on the Lunar Messenger on Light and Colour if you would like to know more on the subtle effects of meditating on colours.
