Fearne Cotton’s approach to quarantine dressing is a proven mood-lifter

Happy Place founder Fearne Cotton just made a very good case for wearing bright colours in dark times, and it might just inspire what you pick out to wear during quarantine. 

Let’s be honest: most of us are probably spending most of our days in loungewear, workout gear and pyjamas at the moment. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Right now, we just need to feel comfortable and safe while social distancing by staying indoors. 

But, as Fearne Cotton just pointed out, putting some thought into the colours we wear might actually prove helpful to our mental health.

The Happy Place podcaster and mental health advocate shared a photograph of herself wearing a brightly coloured, stripy Olivia Rubin cardigan on Instagram. 

In the caption, Cotton said her Celebrity Juice co-host Keith Lemon – whose style is always flamboyant – inspired her to wear colourful clothes to help lift her mood.

The captain read: “Taking advice from @keithlemon and wearing bright colours to lift the mood at home. #StayAtHomeSeries #stayhome @oliviarubin.”

(Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate her bathroom wall paper.)

So, is there any science behind the idea of wearing bright colours to feel happier? According to experts, the answer is yes – but it all depends on how you connect with certain colours.  

In 2017, Leslie Harrington, executive director of the Color Association of the United States, told Huffington Post: “When you see certain colours, they have associations to them and those associations are linked to how they make us feel and behave. Warmer colours, brighter colours, we always talk about them being happier. That’s because they make us feel happy when we look at them.”

And research by Leatrice Eiseman, a colour specialist and executive director of the Pantone Colour Institute, has found that most people commonly associate yellow with the words sunshine, warmth, cheer, happiness and even playfulness.

She said: “We can help to induce that hopeful feeling by wearing something yellow.”

So why not give it a go and see if wearing a splash of colour helps lift your spirits today?

Images: Rankin/The Prince’s Trust

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