11 Ways to Lift Your Mood (or Someone Else's)

Think Pink...or Red

"Color stimulates your eyes and your brain," says Ruth Lande Shuman, founder and president of Publicolor, a nonprofit color-therapy organization. "When used properly, it can make you feel happy, energized and focused." Warm colors (like red, orange and yellow) tend to be energizers, increasing heart rate and circulation; cool colors (such as blue and lavender) act like sedatives—decreasing your heart rate and adrenaline production. "It's even that way with lipstick," says Lande Shuman. "When you're down, you tend to reach for neutrals like brown or beige, but that's the very day you should wear a bright shade. It changes the way you feel and the way others respond to you."