White May Well Be The Worst Colour To Paint Office Walls

April 8, 2015 in Daily Bulletin

Stephanie Vozza summarized research that looks at how the colours of the walls of an office affect performance:

  • Red increases the heart rate and raises blood pressure. It is a good wall colour for employees who have to focus on details.
  • Blue settles the nerves and is good for those working on creative tasks, or looking to brainstorm.
  • Green is similar to blue in that it’s good for innovation.
  • Yellow creates optimism but too much seems to create anxiety. People are more likely to yell at each other in a yellow room.
  • In contrast walls painted white – the preferred colour of offices around the world – seem to lead to an increase in errors.
  • Personality matters. “High-Screener” individuals aren’t as affected by the colour of walls as “Low-Screener” ones.

Read about the studies, the methodologies, why grey isn’t that great a colour either, and more over here.

Source: Fast Company