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Taubmans Colour Emotion Study uses Virtual Reality to assess the impact of colour

As a world first, the preliminary results of the Taubmans Colour Emotion Study using VR technology has discovered the top colours that cause a range of emotions within several real-life environments. In partnership with leading Australian Virtual Reality company, Liminal VR, a team of psychologists and neuroscientists conducted the Taubmans Colour Emotion study, the largest of its kind to date, in consultation with The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Melbourne, the Southern Hemisphere’s leading brain research facility.

Taubmans Tim Welsh explains, “We all instinctively know that the colours in our homes affect our moods. Now, Taubmans has research that scientifically proves that painting your walls in different colours can bring out a whole a range of emotions.”

A robust sample of 745 participants used the latest VR headsets to create three-dimensional immersive experiences to best capture emotional responses to a range of Taubmans colours in living rooms, waiting rooms and blank space environments, informing use of colour in both residential and commercial applications.

For the study, each participant was given a Google Daydream virtual reality headset and controller where they submitted their responses when shown each of the Taubmans colours profiled. Segmented into eight groups, each participant within the group was exposed to five Taubmans colours across three room types. Between the groups, 40 Taubmans colours were displayed on both the walls and ceiling, with the living room being furnished to give context. Candidates were required to rate each colour by indicating how they felt selecting one of eight options ranging from excited and cheerful to irritated or tense. Participants were also asked to indicate how much they liked the colour on a 5-point scale varying between ‘extremely’ to ‘not at all’.

Tim continues to explain “The right colours will make you feel relaxed and calm, or cheerful and excited, yet pick the wrong colour scheme, and your walls risk making you feel bored, sad, tense and, worst of all, irritated. We plan to use the Taubmans Colour Emotion Study to help our customers pick the right Taubmans colours to enhance Australian homes, lifestyles and moods.”

Source: Taubmans