To see or not to see: Importance of color perception to color therapy

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Summary

This two-study investigation found that a commercially available color therapy routine reduced stress and anxiety equally whether participants viewed the prescribed colors or a plain white patch, suggesting the therapeutic effect is driven by factors other than color perception itself (e.g., expectation, relaxation procedure). For lighting designers and wellness practitioners, this challenges the assumption that specific chromatic properties of light are the active ingredient in color-based relaxation protocols.

Key Findings

Stress and anxiety decreased significantly before-to-after the color therapy routine in both studies (n=60 longitudinal; n=63 cross-sectional), but decreases were equivalent whether participants viewed the prescribed colors or a white patch.
In Study 1, incremental decreases in stress and anxiety were observed across three weekly sessions, regardless of color condition.
The full and shortened versions of the routine produced the same magnitude of stress/anxiety reduction, indicating duration of color exposure was not a determining factor.
Authors conclude that physical exposure to color is not the operative mechanism; other factors such as expectation or relaxation procedure likely account for observed improvements in affective states.