It’s not a coincidence that some of our favorite things in nature are blue.
You probably like blue, and you’re not alone. Across the globe, a majority of people tend to select blue as their favourite colour, polls and studies show (apologies to dark yellowish-brown, a universally disliked colour).
From Crayola polls to legitimate peer-reviewed studies, the BBC investigated the science of how we perceive colour and found that not only do we adore blue, but our perceptions of colour are shaped by our experiences. Highlighting research from University of Rhode Island associate professor Lauren Labrecque and University of Wisconsin psychology professor Karen Schloss, the BBC reports that our preference for blue is longstanding, and that we start to give meaning to colours as we age.
“This accounts for why different people have different preferences for the same colour, and why your preference for a given colour can change over time,” Schloss tells the BBC. A study Schloss conducted at the University of California-Berkeley in 2013 showed that when shades were paired with images, instead of just plain blocks of the colour, subjects had positive responses to colours linked with pleasurable images (think: rolling hills and kiwi fruit for green, or strawberries and roses for red).
The study also noted that subjects with an allegiance to a sports team or college found their favorite team’s colours more favorable. The more they valued their team or school, the more predominantly they favored the specific colour, whether the blue from the University of California or the shade of red specific to Stanford University.
“It tells us that our experiences with the world are constantly influencing the way we view and interpret (colour),” Schloss says. “Think of colour preferences as a summary of your experiences with that colour: your regular daily experiences in the world influence that judgment.”
So, why does blue dominate lists of favorites? Non-scientific (but wildly fun) Crayola polls stretching back decades have asked people to choose their favorite colours, and blue—in multiple shades and hues—always dominates the results. Even the earliest-recorded color studies from the 1800s show that blue is universally loved, due at least in part to our fondness for blues in nature. We could credit fond memories of playing in the ocean or the enjoyment of a day dominated by a clear blue sky for our obsession with blue. It’s possible then, that blue hues offer up plenty of positive experiences, which we crave as adults and unconsciously link to our favorite color.
But blue isn’t the only attention-grabbing colour. There are social cues that can bring positive or negative connotations to a colour, such as pink, but our colour interests change as we gain new experiences. The younger you are, for instance, the more likely you are to enjoy a brighter colour. As you age, you’re more likely to take on darker hues as your favorites; younger women, according to researchers from the University of Glasgow, tend to enjoy purples and reds, while younger men may lean toward green or yellow-green. As for that hatred for dark yellowish-brown? We could attribute it to things we dislike that are the same colour—over-ripe bananas, anyone?
Simply put, the things we enjoy most in our lives will drive our colour preferences.
