Exploring blue with Maurie and Eve

I was recently invited to explore the psychological and emotional impact of the colour blue with Maurie and Eve. Read their article here for a well put together piece, or my longer form draft below. :)

Why are colours important in human nature/emotion/psychology? Does this differ from one person to the next?

 For sighted people, colour provides another layer to human experience. How you feel about colour is often personal and connected to your life’s experiences and culture, although there are also some common themes around the meaning of different colours.

Colour is another data point - another piece of information – that can evoke emotion, or spark a memory linked to a specific colour. For example, ‘Tiffany blue’ often prompts a feeling of luxury and love from gifting a precious piece of jewellery often used to mark a milestone life event.

Artist Pablo Picasso said, “Colours, like feature, follow the changes of the emotions.” Colours provide a depth of richness from the mood-altering effects it can have for someone. Colour preferences may influence purchasing decisions not just for the object of desire but how it’s used in the purchasing environment be it in-store or online.

 Reflect on what comes to mind and the feelings that come with each colour when you think of white, red, yellow, black, green, blue. The associations you have with these hues may also bring about a shift in your emotional state.

Colour influences how we feel and behave based on personal experience, cultural and religious elements. As such, there will be similarities and differences for each person, and how sighted people process colour can differ from person to person. For example, in western culture, blue is considered masculine but in China it’s considered a feminine colour.

Colours can also have opposed assigned meanings. In western culture, the colour blue symbolises trust, stability, security and is often seen in branding for associations of trust and authority, e.g. royal blue. However, it’s also used as a colour to describe low feelings of melancholy – “feeling blue”.

What are some ways we can integrate colour in our lives for positive emotional/psychological benefits?

 In terms of psychological impact of colour, there are two main categories of primary colours: warm and cool colours. Warm colours include red, yellow, orange and are associated with feelings that range from love and comfort to anger and rage. Cool colours include blue, green, purple and can bring about feelings that range from calmness to sadness. Cool colours also tend be more calming because the eye focuses the colour green directly on the retina which can be less straining for eye muscles.

When designing a room, for example, think about the mood you want to evoke. The colour blue can have a calming effect, which makes it a useful colour for creating a chilled vibe, or in places that are busy and may be high-stress environments. Used in the bedroom, soft blues and greens may help you relax at bed time.

When choosing what to wear, notice the colours you’re drawn to and how wearing that colour makes you feel. Do your clothing choices reflect your mood, or change your mood, or both?

What do you notice about your emotional state when you’re in different coloured environments. What does being in a white room feel like? Or being in a natural space of green and blue, perhaps with a splash of coloured flowers? Or being in a space with dark walls? Notice how you feel around different colours and use this information when creating spaces in your home or office, or in the way you choose colour in your clothing or even hair colour.

How does the colour blue typically effect human nature/psychology?

Although research is limited about the psychology of colour, common findings on the emotional impact of the colour blue include feelings of nature, calmness, serenity, reliability and trust. However, it can also be associated with coldness, distance and isolation.

So, consider the context in which colour is used when thinking about how to use colour, or how it feels for you. This may also include religious or cultural beliefs about colours and what they symbolise. Several ancient cultures, including the Egyptians and Chinese, use colour to heal in the practice of chromotherapy, light therapy or colorology, as blue is believed to soothe illness and treat pain.

Generally, in western society, blue is a calming favourite colour for many people, often viewed as non-threatening, conservative and traditional. It’s used in branding as symbol of trust and stability, or calmness and tranquillity, wisdom, and it can create feelings of sadness or melancholy.

Blue is also considered the least appetising and often associated with weight loss brands as it is a rare food colour aside from blueberries and some plumbs, and can be associated with poisonous or mouldy food.

Also consider how the colour blue is used in language and associated feelings, e.g. a blue moon, a blue mood, blue blood, the blues.

Do primal colours typically have a stronger influence in this context?

There are four psychological primary colours – red, blue, yellow, green – that relate to the body, the mind, emotions and balance these. They are also used to represent energy and chakras.

In this context, red is physical and represents courage, strength, warmth, energy, stimulation, masculinity, excitement. Although it can also represent defiance, aggression, strain. It can also appear nearer than it is and grabs our attention first, e.g. traffic stop light. Red can stimulate and raise the pulse which can also make time feel like it’s moving faster than it is.

Blue is considered to be intellectual; the colour of communication, trust, reliability, serenity, calm, but also coldness, aloofness, unfriendliness or lack of emotion. It’s the colour of the mind and generally calming, affecting us mentally more than physically as red does. Strong blues can bring about clarity of mind and concentration. It’s one of the world’s favourite and most seen colours as it’s the colour of the sky. 

Yellow is emotional and represents positivity, optimism, self-esteem, confidence but also fear, anxiety and irrationality. It has a long wavelength which makes it the strongest colour psychologically, helping lift the mood.

Green represents balance, harmony, universal love, the natural environment, peace, but also envy, stagnation or being bland and stuck. It is restful for the eye as it’s the centre of the spectrum, and can feel reassuring.

When you see different colours, what feelings do you have or associate them with?

Photo thanks to Sharon Pittaway on Unsplash