Houston High Students Explore the Psychology Behind the Colors We Wear

At Houston High School, a recent refresher on the color wheel quickly became a lesson about
something students encounter every morning: deciding what to wear.

Students in Cristy Boggan’s Lifespan Development class explored color psychology and how
color can communicate feelings, moods and personal identity. Boggan also connected the lesson to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, encouraging students to consider how clothing choices may relate to belonging, confidence, safety, self-expression and even self-actualization.

The lesson moved well beyond simply identifying warm and cool colors.

Students were asked to think about why they choose certain colors, how those choices might
affect the way they feel and what messages those colors may communicate to the people around them.

“Students are very in-tune with clothing,” Boggan said. “They follow trends on social media.”

That familiarity made clothing a natural way to make the psychology of color feel relevant. A
color students might normally choose because they like how it looks could also influence how
confident, comfortable or expressive they feel wearing it.

“Using clothing is a familiar way to make color psychology relevant to them,” Boggan said. “It
also makes it very personal.”

The conversation also shifted toward life beyond high school. After reviewing the color wheel,
Boggan taught students about interview-appropriate attire and how clothing can influence first
impressions.

For sophomore Kailey Askins, the activity made her think more carefully about the relationship
between color and her own mood.

“I learned that colors and what you’re wearing can affect your mood,” Askins said.

She said she often gravitates toward light blue when she is in a good mood and plans to pay more attention to how the colors she wears affect the way she feels throughout the day.

Classmate Norah Kohl also came away thinking differently about how people interpret color.

“Color affects the way people see or understand different moods,” Kohl said.

Kohl noted that bright colors can make her feel more confident or energetic and said even small changes in hue can completely change the way a color is perceived.

That kind of awareness is exactly what Boggan hopes students continue developing after the
lesson ends.

“I hope students leave understanding that color is more than something that simply looks good,” Boggan said. “Color can influence emotions, communicate messages, and affect how people respond.”

For students, a familiar classroom color wheel became a chance to look differently at something they see, choose and wear every day.