3 min readLife is already stressful—your home shouldn’t make it worse. Ideally, your space should feel like a retreat, somewhere you can truly unwind and let go of tension, but that isn’t always what happens. One subtle way you might be increasing stress at homeis through your color choices. Paint colors don’t all have the same effect; some can actually stimulate the mind instead of calming it. So even if you’re trying to relax, your surroundings may be working against you.
So how can you tell which color palettes might be heightening your stress? The key is neuroaesthetics, the intersection of psychology and design. Tracee Murphy, principal designer at Trade Mark Interiors, teaches courses that explore how interior design impacts our mental and emotional responses.
"Color is emotional and sets the tone for how we live and feel every day," Murphy says. "When we walk into a space, our body responds instantly to color, often before we even realize it."
We spoke with Murphy and two other specialists in the field to better understand how different colors affect the brain—and which ones you may want to steer clear of.
How Paint Colors Affect Your Mind
The colors present in your house are key to creating the mood you want and making sure your furniture feels at home. But they do so much more. They interact directly with your mind and nervous system, according to Eryn Oruncak, founder of Science in Design-certified firm Elan Design. This, in turn, influences your sleep, emotional balance, focus, and even social connections.
"When thoughtfully selected, a room can function as I like to call it, ‘command central,’" Oruncak says. "It is a place where energy is managed, motivation is cultivated, and emotional equilibrium is supported. Every hue in your palette communicates with your brain, subtly signaling whether it’s time to rest, reflect, or engage."
“Hostile” Colors to Avoid
High-Saturation Neons
Neon colors may be great for '80s nostalgia, but they're not likely to make your home feel calm and inviting. Oruncak notes that highly saturated colors can "overstimulate the senses and elevate stress, making it difficult for the body to relax."
"Bright, overly stimulating colors can work against a person's ability to feel joy, disrupting the natural rhythm of the day that includes rest and recovery," Oruncak says. This is particularly true of warm colors like bold reds or electric yellows. Murphy notes that even stark black-and-white pairings "tend to energize the mind rather than calm it."
Large Expanses of Color
Overdoing any color can create overwhelm, even ones that appear to be more calming, so take heed before taking your favorite color and drenching the whole room with it. Large swaths of color "overwhelm the nervous system," Oruncak says, "keeping it in a heightened state of alert when it should be winding down." Even white isn't safe from this: A room full of harsh whites can feel sterile rather than soothing.
"Even monochromatic or color saturation that we're seeing can become overwhelming if the hue is too intense, drawing attention and energy rather than allowing the mind to unwind," Oruncak says. "The idea when pairing any element in every room, in this case color, is to achieve an element of balance, which will stop the room from falling flat or being overly stimulating."
Stress-Inducing Color Pairings
The takeaway here is not that you should never paint your home red or yellow; no one color is inherently stressful or evil. Just be mindful of how intense the color is and how you spread it out. Oruncak notes that, while red has the highest frequency, it also conveys passion, strength, and vitality. A little pop of it adds an element of connection to any room (hello, unexpected red theory!). "Used purposefully, the right shade of red adds dimension and life to a muted or neutral palette," Oruncak says. "But when overused, it can disrupt a pleasant and balanced atmosphere."
Color is also incredibly subjective, so not everyone will react to a shade the same way. Follow your own inner compass: if a room's palette feels right to you, that's what matters. You're the one who has to live with it. "Our cultural associations and personal history with a shade matter just as much," Seung-McFarland says. "A sunny yellow may feel joyful to one person and anxiety-inducing to someone who connects it with a negative experience. So a color can be soothing in general, but not to you if it’s tied to a bad memory."
