Did you know that colors have effects on mental and emotional states? Each tone can produce many different products, even contradictory ones. It all depends on the context. In this case, we will expose the other states that the blue color can evoke in us and what it means, according to psychology.
Sociologist and psychologist Eva Heller, a specialist in color psychology, found that blue is often people’s favorite. It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like you, as we tend to associate you with a variety of positive qualities, such as trust, fidelity, likeability, calmness, and rationality.
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What does the color blue mean in psychology?
According to psychology, blue is the coldest color based on our experiences with low temperatures. Under these conditions, the skin takes on a bluish hue, and ice and snow are associated with these tones.
Likewise, it is one of the colors most linked to the ability to control. So tolerance, introspection, and understanding are qualities he also tends to transmit.
It is linked to trust, caring for others, credibility, power, seriousness, creativity, physical energy, goodwill, and technological development.
The color blue in organizations
In light of all these positive feelings, many collective entities resort to the color blue to transmit them. We can mention the following:
- Law enforcement uniforms evoke confidence and seriousness.
- In political campaigns, it inspires authority, credibility, and peace.
- Banks, insurers, and pharmaceutical companies try to convey security, trust, and care.
- Marketing influences consumer purchases, mainly when items are associated with relaxation or rest. This is highlighted in this article on how color affects the construction of preferences.
The color blue in the kitchen, what does it mean?
In the same way, it has been considered that the blue color is ideal for promoting diet foods or decorating the kitchen since it helps to feel less hungry and eat less.
This is because this color is often rare in food and shares a distancing effect with cool tones, in contrast to warm colors that bring the consumer closer. This is how it is reported in work on visual neuromarketing developed at the University of Cali, Colombia.
Not everything is positive.
Finally, it has also been associated with negative qualities, such as sadness, melancholy, and nostalgia. In English-speaking countries, it is common to use the feeling of blue or blue to refer to feelings close to pessimism, depression, and lack of motivation. A study published in Perception 2020 found that several people often associate this color with sadness-related emotions.
Meaning of the different shades of blue
According to Eva Heller, sociologist, psychologist, and author of Psychology of Color, there are 111 shades of blue. But only 23 varieties of this color carry specific psychological perceptions. Next, we present the most common shades and the meaning that is usually associated with them.
light blue or light blue
It is linked to stillness, tranquility, protection, and generosity. The lighter tones are usually associated with withdrawal, introspection, and communication with oneself.
Therefore, it is ideal for promoting states of relaxation and concentration. It is usually recommended in the rooms to combat insomnia.
dark blue color
It is associated with truth, moderation, stability, order, and seriousness. It is usual to use this color in the uniforms of the police or security forces.
It is usually linked to fidelity, commitment, the infinite, the sacred, and royalty. This may be because the night sky, where the gods dwell, is perceived as dark blue. Likewise, pharaohs widely used it, and it is common to find it in the attire of Marian representations.
For its part, it is also associated with elegance and economic power. In the past, it was very representative of high society since it was complex to synthesize, which made it expensive. Today it is a widely used color to make elegant suits.
Navy blue also evokes feelings of calm and relaxation, as it produces the depths of the sea.
Turquoise
It is a color between blue and green, so it transmits both qualities: tranquility and growth. Likewise, it is usually associated with mental clarity, creativity, introspection, balance, and emotional control.
In this way, if you want to undertake a creative project, you can decorate the spaces with this tone. Thus, inspiration and creativity will flow more easily.
What does the color blue mean in other cultures?
It is pertinent to note that the meaning of the color blue can vary depending on the culture. Remember that the effect it has on us will depend, to a large extent, on the context.
In a study that relates the passage of time and color in the image, it is pointed out that for six thousand years, the Hebrew people, the pharaohs, and the ancient Romans used blue, the preferred color in said societies.
On the other hand, in China, while blue represents immortality, it is sometimes frowned upon because it is also associated with pornography. These recordings are often called blue films. In Belgium, blue is a color for girls. And in South Korea, it is associated with death, which is why it is the tone of mourning for Koreans.