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The experiment was designed to examine the effects of a red versus a blue office environment on a typing task and mood. Empirical evidence in this area is sparse, but the prevailing view is that “warm” colors ate more arousing than “cool” colors. The 36 paid subjects were given the task of typing business forms for 20 min. in either a monochromatic red or blue office space and then asked to fill out the Eight State Questionnaire. In the second half of the experiment, subjects either returned to the same-colored office or moved to the different-colored office where the same procedure was followed but with alternate business forms and an alternate form of the questionnaire. Significant main effects found were for the number of errors made on the typing task; the subjects who moved to the different-colored office made more errors than those subjects who remained in the same-colored office. On the questionnaire, group differences were not statistically significant, but the mean anxiety and stress scores were higher for the subjects who remained in the red office, the mean depression score was higher for the subjects who remained in the blue office, and the mean arousal score was higher for those subjects who switched to the different-colored office.

This report is the fourth in a series from a large scale study that examines the effects of three office color interiors (white, predominately red, and predominately blue-green) on worker productivity. Matched on relevant variables, participants were assigned to one of three offices and performed simulated office tasks for four consecutive days. Productivity was measured through workers' task performance and task accuracy, taking into account individual differences in environmental sensitivity (i.e., stimulus screening). The findings suggested that the influences of interior colors on worker productivity were dependent upon individuals' stimulus screening ability and time of exposure to interior colors. Implications of office workers' long-term productivity are discussed in relation to issues concerning the visual complexity of interior environments.