What Does The Color Blue Mean In Psychology?

Did you know that colors affect our mental and emotional state? It is true that each color can create many different effects – even conflicting. It all depends on the context. In this article, we will discuss the different states that the color blue can evoke in us according to psychology.

Sociologist and psychologist, Eva Heller, a specialist in color psychology, found that blue is often many people’s favorite color. It’s hard to find someone who does not like this color! This is because without knowing it we tend to associate the color blue with various positive qualities such as trust, loyalty, sympathy, calm and rationality.

Let’s take a closer look at this.

What does the color blue mean in psychology?

It is also one of the colors that has become most associated with the ability to control itself. Tolerance, introspection and understanding are qualities this color also tends to transmit.

Therefore  , this color is associated with trust, caring for others, reliability, power, seriousness, creativity, psychic energy, cordiality and technological development. 

In light of all these positive emotions, many collective entities have borrowed the color blue to convey them. For example, we can mention the following:

• Safety uniforms inspire confidence and seriousness.
• In political campaigns, this color inspires authority, reliability and peace.
• Banks, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies are trying to transfer security, trust and care.
• In marketing, it aims to influence customers’ purchases.

Experts have found that the color blue is ideal for promoting light products or for decorating the kitchen as it helps us feel less hungry and thus we eat less. This is because this color tends to be uncommon in foods.

Finally, this color is also associated with  negative qualities such as sadness, melancholy and nostalgia. This may be due to its opposition to warm colors.

According to color psychology, blue is the coldest color and it is based on our experience with low temperatures. The skin acquires a bluish color under these conditions, and ice and snow are associated with these shades.

The importance of the different shades of the color blue

According to Eva Heller, there are 111 shades of blue. However, only 23 variants of this color carry specific psychological perceptions. Here are the most common shades and the meaning usually associated with them.

Light blue or sky blue

This nuance is associated with feelings of silence, calm, protection and generosity. Lighter shades are usually associated with memory, introspection and communication with oneself. 

Therefore, it is ideal for promoting relaxation and concentration. It is often recommended for bedrooms to combat insomnia.

Dark blue

Dark blue is associated with truth, moderation, stability, order and seriousness. It is very common to use this color with the police or on security uniforms.

Navy blue

This nuance is usually associated with fidelity, dedication, infinity, sacred things, and royalty. This may be because the night sky where the gods reside is perceived as navy blue. It was also used extensively by pharaohs and virgins.

At the same time, this color is also associated with elegance and economic power. In the past, it was very representative of the high in society. This is because it was difficult to manufacture, which made it expensive. Today, it is a color that is widely used to make elegant sets of clothes.

Navy blue also evokes feelings of calm and relaxation as it reminds us of the depths of the ocean.

Turquoise blue

It is a color that is between blue and green, so it conveys qualities from both colors. This applies, for example, to calm and growth. We also associate this color with mental clarity, creativity, introspection, balance and emotional control. 

If you want to take on a creative project, you can therefore decorate your surroundings with this shade. As a result, your inspiration and creativity will flow more easily.

The color blue in other cultures

The Chinese, for example, wrinkle their noses of this color because they associate it with pornography. This is because they often call these movies “blue movies”. In Belgium, blue is often a color for girls. In South Korea, they associate the color with death, making it the color of mourning for Koreans.