Sparking joy can be as effortless as taking the first sip of your morning latte, a Lizzo anthem played on full blast, or your group chat lighting up with memes that make you laugh so hard it’s impossible to drink the aforementioned latte. But on other days, especially if you’re experiencing lethargy, anxiety or burnout, that feel-good glow can be a little harder to come by. 

Practising a simple visualisation exercise or bursting into song can transform your mood from tense and anxious to hopeful and happy. But it’s also possible to hack your wardrobe to boost your mood.

We all have individual pieces that lift our spirits on difficult days – a ruffled shirt that never fails to make you smile, or a sleek suit that imbues you with confidence even in moments of self-doubt. Yet there’s another sartorial happiness hack that works for everyone: colour.

“There’s a lot of evidence surrounding the psychology of colour,” says Shirley O’Donoghue, Principal of holistic centre Lucis College. “If you are lethargic and demotivated, uplifting colours such as orange, red and yellow would be good. If you are anxious, [turn to] calming and soothing colours [such as] green, blue and purples.”

For O’Donoghue, who lectures on colour for the Federation of Holistic Therapists, harnessing the power of colour can have a strong positive effect on your mood. You can even combine colours to supercharge your mindset, she adds. “For a greater impact and balance you can use complementary colours – for example [combining] orange and blue, red and green, or purple and yellow.”

Many of us might choose to wear yellow, orange and red when we want to raise our mood, as they’re associated with sunshine, holidays and feel-good memories. But pink can also be an incredible colour to wear when you need an extra boost. 

In particular, Baker-Miller pink – a purplish shade reminiscent of Instagram-approved millennial pink – was found to have a marked effect on human emotions after extensive research. During the 60s and 70s, Alexander Schauss of the American Institute for Biosocial Research concluded that this calming shade reduced aggression, lowered the heart rate and induced a sense of calm. 

Such is the influence of this colour that it has gone on to be used correctional facilities worldwide to promote calm. If you’re starting to feel a bit cabin fever-y while stuck indoors, this soothing shade could provide an instant tonic to reduce feelings of anxiety and leave you feeling serene and focused. 

Ready to embrace dressing for happiness? Whether you’re looking for a mood-boosting knit to throw over your stay-at-home uniform, or a statement shirt that’s as soothing as it is stylish, these pieces capture the spirit of colour therapy.

Images: courtesy of brands.