A Comparative Study of Gender Emotional Reaction to Colour in Sleeping Rooms Within Selected Halls of Residence on KNUST Campus

Colour affects every aspect of our lives and is a key aspect of designing interior spaces. They can communicate varied feelings like calmness, generate sensations, and evoke emotions that can excite or provoke happiness or sadness within a space. Many research studies have been conducted concerning the relationship between human emotions and colour. However, this research investigates how colour in the sleeping room affects the emotions of students within the selected halls of residence on Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) campus. It also seeks to find out whether the emotional reaction to colour in students’ sleeping rooms differs with respect to gender. In this research, three major halls of residence—Unity Hall, Independence Hall and Chancellors’ Hall on KNUST campus were considered. The researchers administered a closed-ended questionnaire that adopts the Brief Mood Introspection Scale and the Tensed-Relaxed Scale to conveniently sample students in these halls of residence to assess their emotional reaction to colour in their sleeping space. Those who preferred to share their experience were rather interviewed. Descriptive statistics was used in analyzing the quantitative data whereas content analysis was used for the qualitative data. Based on the research findings, it is evident that students have a strong preference for colours such as blue, white, and purple. These particular colours also have a friendly, soothing, and relaxing influence on students. It is recommended that, lighter shades of these colours be used depending on the preference of individuals.