Do You Also Find "Blue" Serene?

It is mostly hard to describe the effect of the blue color on us. Interestingly, this color has a common connotation in various cultures and on many people’s mind: freshness. It’s like the anxiety within us takes a step back when we see the color blue. There are a lot of scientific and emotional explanations for this effect mechanism; and all of them turns blue into an experience rather than being just a color.

The people who look at the sky in the daytime usually experience a similar feeling without even realizing: spaciousness. The feeling of infinity can be frightening sometimes but it gives peace to the most. Because blue, naturally carries the feeling of “farness” and “space.” The reason why this feeling is calming is that the brain process cooler tones with calmness. This effect that the color blue creates on visual cortex might help body relax by decreasing the activities of sympathetic nervous system.

Sea view leads to a similar experience as well. Most people say that their mental confusion or tension relieves when they look at a sea. The constantly moving yet regularly repeating wavelength of blue provides the brain with both a rhythmic visual stimulus and a feeling of security. That's why, for many people, blue evokes both a sense of "depth" and "balance" at the same time.

Not everybody feels the same way for sure. Blue might recall distance and loneliness for some people because of its coolness. Particularly the dark blue tones in overcast days might evoke introvert feelings or exhaustion. This diversity shows us that the neurobiological effect of the color does not explain everything alone. Memories, culture, how you were raised and your personal experiences change the meaning of the color.

Blue is known as the color of trust in many society; that’s why we generally see this color in institutions’, banks’ or healthcare institutions’s logos. And blue is linked to protection from evil in some cultures, “evil eye” is one of the most prominent examples for this. That leads us to the idea that blue is a multi-layered symbolic both scientific and culturalwise.

There is still a common question among all these diversities: Why does most people find blue calming?

Scientific Roots of Colors

Although the feelings that colors evoke in us often seem "intuitive," there is a rather complex neurobiological process behind it. Every color we see is actually an electrical signal journey that begins in the retina of the eye and extends to the visual cortex. During this journey, our brain evaluates not only the color but also its saturation, brightness, and hue separately. Therefore, different shades of the same color can make us feel completely different things

Biologically, it is known that warm colors (red, orange, yellow) more easily activate the sympathetic nervous system, while cool colors (blue, green) have a calming effect via the parasympathetic system. However, explaining this solely through biology would be incomplete, as the effect of each color is not universal. Most emotional associations are learned through culture; that is, a color considered positive in one society may have a completely different meaning in another.

So, color psychology must be thought as a field where not only scientific data, but memory and individual experiences all integrate together.

What Colors Make You Feel: Science + Culture + Emotions

Red

Red is a warning color for most people. This is because it can quicken the heart rate, attract attention, and is associated with danger signals. It creates a spectrum of emotions ranging from passion and anger to warning. Several studies suggest it can even influence eating behavior. However, the meaning of red varies dramatically from culture to culture; for example, in Asia it signifies luck and celebration, while in the West it is more of a symbol of warning, danger, or passion.

Green

Green is one of the most relaxing colors for the eyes. It recalls peace, revival and balance due to its relation to nature. Some experimental studies show that green can increase creativity. But the same color might create a sense of stagnancy or even anticipation. Its meaning is still related to the context and memories.

Yellow

Yellow is a radiant color that recalls the sense of energy and brightness. Its potential to attract attention is high. However, too much yellow can create restlessness if it pairs with intense brightness. It is carefully used in design accordingly. It might culturally symbolize both cheer and warning. It has a dual nature.

Orange

Orange is a social, warm, and energetic color. Because of its vibrancy, it is frequently preferred in advertising to create a "act now" feeling. It is like a bridge between energy and closeness.

Purple

The origin of purple is historically associated with luxury and power, as obtaining purple pigment was very difficult in the past. Today, it has turned into a color integrated with spirituality, intuitiveness and introspection. It has a calming yet deep tone.

Black

Black is a dual color, signifying both power and mourning. Minimalism is associated with authority and seriousness. It can create both simplicity and gravitas at the same time.

White

White is the symbol of naiveness, purity and beginning. It has the sense of starting a new page. But being the color of lament in a part of Eastern Asia shows again that how meanings of colors are related to cultures.

Colors Meet Personal Memory: Why Doesn't the Same Color Mean the Same Thing to Everyone?

The effect of colors cannot be explained solely by biological mechanisms. A significant part of how a color makes us feel depends on personal memory and experiences. Some  researches show us that more than 50% of the effect of color perception is shaped by expériences. This difference also derives from a neurobiologic foundation : there is a strong relation between amygdala (emotional memory) and visual cortex. So when we see a color, it is not just an optical process that takes place in our brain; memories, emotions, and learned meanings associated with that color also come into play. So, a color can feel peaceful to somone and anxious to the other…

It is precisely this complex emotional and experiential weight that breaks the solitude a painter experiences while mixing shades of blue at their palette. Because each brushstroke carries not just a shade, but the countless meanings people have attributed to that color. For some, it is the sound of tranquility, for others the coldness of distance, for some the vastness of the sky, for others the depth of shadow… As the painter unfolds each shade, they realize that blue does not belong to a single story; it is like a common ground where completely different lives meet. Each layer that falls on the canvas reflects both the divisions between us and the longings we share deep within.

References and Suggested Readings

Elliot, A. J., & Maier, M. A. (2014). Color psychology: Effects of perceiving color on psychological functioning in humans. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 95–120.

Palmer, S. E., Schloss, K. B., & Sammartino, J. (2013). Visual aesthetics and human preference. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 77–107.

Hemphill, M. (1996). A note on adults’ color–emotion associations. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 157(3), 275–280.

Palmer, S. E., & Schloss, K. B. (2010). An ecological valence theory of human color preference. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(19), 8877–8882.

Zadra, J. R., & Clore, G. L. (2011). Emotion and perception: The role of affective information. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, 2(6), 676–685.

Kaya, N., & Epps, H. H. (2004). Relationship between color and emotion: A study of college students. College Student Journal, 38(3), 396–405.

Gross, C. G. (2007). The amygdala and emotion. The Oxford Handbook of Affective Neuroscience.