Can color really affect your mood? Research says yes; color can absolutely affect your mood, behavior and stress levels, and the study of these effects is known as color psychology. Whether in the clothes you wear, the paint on the walls, or the color of your desk, color is important.

Color specialist Leatrice Eiseman says how colors affect us correlates to that colors behavior in nature. Eiseman has asked thousands of people what they think of specific colors and has found many patterns. She explains, “We have a repository of information about a color. For example, the color blue is almost always associated with blue skies, which when we are children is a positive thing – it means playing outside and fun. Evolutionarily it also means there are no storms to come. This is why it is reminds us of stability and calm.” From www.scienceofpeople.com

She cautions that there are no magic bullet answers, but there are generalities that can be gleaned from decades of research on the patterns of what people think about each color. So, how can you pick the perfect color for each situation? Based on the research, here is your personal color guide:

What Color Should You Make Your Desktop: Green

What color you choose for your desktop and the colors you choose for your website can greatly affect your productivity. The color green is restful for eyes and produces the least amount of eyestrain. This is a good choice for computer desktops if you are in front of a screen for many hours.

What Color to Wear for a Work Out: Orange

Orange is a color of stimulation and enthusiasm. Orange is a nice mix of red’s passion and yellow’s joy. Research has found that orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an energizing effect, and stimulates brain activity.

What Color to Wear on a Date (if you’re a woman): Red

Red is the color of passion and gets blood pumping. Women can wear this to get their date’s heart racing.

What Color to Wear on a Date (if you’re a man): Blue

Blue is the most stable color. Women love seeing stable men. It is also calming and can help relax both you and your date’s nerves.

What to Wear If You Want to Be Seen As Aggressive: Black

Researchers examined statistics from more than 52,000 National Hockey League games and found that teams were penalized more for aggression while wearing black jerseys. (Hockey teams have two color jerseys and switch for home and away games). Interestingly, the NHL in 2003 changed it’s jersey policy so that home teams had to wear white. The authors of the study compared the sets of data and found that the same teams were assessed significantly more penalties for aggression when they wore the black jerseys than when they wore white.

What Colors Should You Paint Your Office: Blue and Green

In 1999, researchers at Creighton University found that colors significantly influence employees’ emotions and efficiency. Workers in blue offices felt the most centered, calm and hopeful towards their work. Since blue can lower heart rates and green reduces anxiety and is associated with money, a combination of blue and green is best for the workplace.

What Color You Should Never Wear to Work: Grey

Grey inspires people to be passive, uninvolved and have a lack of energy. If you like wearing grey, pairing it with a brighter color will help offset the effect.

Choosing the color of your office, your clothes or your desktop should not be taken lightly – colors do affect our moods and productivity. However, colors are not the only thing that affects us – one can still be efficient in a grey suit or workout well in a black outfit. But, when given the choice, picking a color that will work with you, and not against you can only help.