Environmental View and Color for a Stimulated Telemarketing Task

In two experiments, task type or a break, environmental color, and environmental view were manipulated to determine their effects on mood, satisfaction, motivation, and performance. Mood, specifically negative mood, and performance satisfaction tended to be affected by what one did, not by the environmental design. Individuals working a high demand task reported more negative mood and less performance satisfaction than individuals working a low demand task. As expected, motivation was not affected by any manipulations. Performance appears to be affected by environmental color or view. When performing a low demand task, performance appears to worsen over time in the blue rather than the red environment. When working a high demand task in a red environment, performance was worse unless either a break or a scenic picture were present. These data suggest that blue is a calming color and red is a stimulating color, which may interact with other environmental factors. The impact of a scenic picture may serve a comparative process.