ESD MAGAZINE
By: Laura Solla

Does the color of our clothes influence our mood? Here's what experts think.

Pinks, blues, neutral tones, or the always classic black; does our mood somehow influenced by the range of colors that we consciously or unconsciously use in our daily lives? We spoke with a psychologist who resolves all our doubts.

Have you ever had the feeling that, by wearing certain color clothes, your self-esteem automatically rose? Well, we must tell you that no, it is not just a sensation. It is a very real feeling, so much so that it can change our perception of ourselves, and even how we interact with others. Today in ESD Magazine we speak with Aurora Vallejo, a psychologist at the Psicolink center in Madrid with training in systemic therapy, about how color can influence our daily lives. Want to know what she tells us? Keep reading.

"Our mood influences the way we perceive things; under a positive mood we tend to remember stored memories also with a positive connotation, which will favor us to behave also like that day that we remember we were in a good mood" begins Aurora in a video call. "In this way, we can associate certain colors with different memories of our life. For example, if we choose a red dress for an important or happy day, we will associate that color with positive sensations, whereas if we had worn that same dress on a sad or traumatic day, it will remind us of the opposite"

So, are there colors that can make us feel better? "I would say that strong colors like orange or pink could help us feel emotions close to joy and motivation, while the range of blues, greens, or browns could enhance the feeling of calm," she reveals. This doesn't mean that if we are having a bad day, wearing an orange t-shirt will solve our problems, but it could perhaps help us see things with a bit more optimism (and sometimes, that's already a big help, right?)

So, Aurora reiterates to us: "Our mood influences consciously or unconsciously the way we perceive things, people, and different environments. This also happens when making everyday decisions such as what to eat, which road to choose, or our outfit of the day," and she continues, "on a day when we find ourselves in a low mood or perceive the environment as unsafe, we might choose clothes that provide more security and protection, such as darker tones, looser clothing, or more layers," she says, although she reminds us that sometimes the opposite can happen. "It can also happen that people who are going through a sadder or more difficult moment show very striking clothing in order to be seen, thus covering an unsatisfied need in other areas of their life."

Just as she is about to start her next session, we have time to ask her one last question, perhaps the most typical: asking for advice. "My advice is not to underestimate the power of color. Sometimes we need to feel comforted through clothes, like when we're going through a hard time and feel the need to watch sad movies or listen to songs that speak of a situation similar to what we're going through, but when we decide to take one more step to get out of that situation, opting for bright, cheerful, and striking colors can help us more than we think, giving us that touch of optimism so necessary in our lives," she concludes. A piece of advice that we will put into practice at Esdemarca, a website full of color where (we assure you) you will find everything you need.