While it might sound like a stretch at first, piles of new data suggest that colors often work in tandem with your mood. In fact, advertisers have been testing the connection for years. Ads for food often use yellow and red to increase appetite. Ads for outdoor clothing or all-terrain vehicles rely on dark greens and browns.

The link between color and mood also matters in your search to find happiness. In an interesting new study, researchers found that happy and healthy participants generally chose yellow as their favorite color. Participants who felt depressed or anxious chose dark blue as their favorite hue and described their mood in shades of gray.

Think about it: when you’re jealous you’re “green with envy.” When you’re angry you’re “seeing red.” When you’re depressed you’re “feeling blue.” The list goes on. The reason you’ve heard these expressions so many times is that, on some level, these associations make sense. When you’re angry, it really can feel like something inside of you is burning red.

Can color really help you find happiness? How does it work?

Talking about the connection between colors and mood can help you and the people in your life understand something important: patterns of depression or real happiness sink deeper into your mind than language can sometimes convey. You’re not just “feeling bad;” you’re truly seeing everything through a darker lens.

The complex thoughts and emotions that accompany a bad mood can be hard to articulate. Maybe the things you’re feeling are conflicting. Certain colors might particularly appeal to you during extreme moods because they’re more like your complex feelings than definitive words: open-ended, interpretive, and emotional.

The relationship between what you see and what you feel has important implications when you want to find happiness. Surrounding yourself with colors that remind you of feeling good can really help you feel better. You’re hardwired to react to certain colors. For example, seeing the color red can stimulate you and increase your heart rate.

The memories and symbols you attribute to colors work just as powerfully in affecting your mood. In the same way you might crave the vegetable soup made by a beloved aunt, a particular shade of yellow might remind you of the walls in the room of your favorite older sibling and trigger warm feelings.

How can you harness the power of color to find happiness?

Perhaps the most surprising thing about yellow being the official color of happiness is that small glimpses and little decisions throughout the day can affect something as colossal as your outlook on life. Although it might be hard to grasp at first, it’s true—waking up and putting on a vibrant skirt rather than an article of comfort clothing you’ve had for years can put enough pep in your step to carry you happily through the day.

You’ve probably experienced a similar mood boost. Maybe a dreary room became a favorite thinking spot after you painted the walls a personally meaningful color. Perhaps part of the magic of a beautiful evening spent with friends was the way the light fell on the party as the sun set. Your mood is often highly related to your environment. Changing elements of the places in which you spend your time can make you feel more at peace about being there.

Colors can’t boost your mood if you don’t notice them. Making mindful color choices a part of your path to find happiness is partially so effective because you’ve consciously decided to feel good. Maybe you can’t change the weather or a conflict at work, but you can change the shoes you wear, and you can feel better.