In the psychology of color, color preferences are the tendency for an individual or a group to prefer some colors over others, such as having a favorite color.
Introduction
An ‘ecological valence theory’ (EVT) has been suggested to explain why people have preferences for different colors. This is the idea that the preference for color is determined by the average affective response to everything the individual associates with the color. Hence, positive emotional experiences with a particular color are likely to increase the propensity to develop a preference for that color and vice versa. Social and cultural factors also factor into this affective response. A study in 2011 on the effects of “school spirit” and color preferences found members of Berkeley were more likely to favor the school’s official colors than rival university Stanford. This degree of preference was also correlated with their self-reported level of “school spirit”. The researchers conducting the study concluded that this was evidence for the EVT.
Color preferences of children
The age when infants begin showing a preference for color is at about 12 weeks old. Generally, children prefer the colors red/ pink and blue, and cool colors are preferred over warm colors. Purple is a color favored more by girls than by boys. Color perception of children 3–5 years of age is an indicator of their developmental stage. Color preferences tend to change as people age.
Color preferences in different societies
Favoritism of colors varies widely. Often societal influences will have a direct impact on what colors we favor and disdain. In the West, the color black symbolizes mourning and sadness, red symbolizes anger and violence, white symbolizes purity and peace, and yellow symbolizes joy and luck (other colors lack a consistent meaning). From a recent study, it was discussed that associative learning is the process where an individual develops color preferences. In different countries, color preference vary. In China, red indicates luck, while in Nigeria and Germany it means the exact opposite.
Some notable examples include white, which symbolizes death and mourning in East Asia while symbolizing purity and happiness in Australia, New Zealand and the USA Blue, the corporate color par excellence in the US, is perceived as cold and evil (“evil”) in East Asia, but it symbolizes warmth in the Netherlands, coldness in Sweden, death in Iran and purity in India. Blue symbolizes high quality, reliability and reliability in the USA, Japan, Korea and China.
Green represents danger or disease in Malaysia but envy in Belgium and the USA. In other connotations, green symbolizes love, happiness, good taste and adventure in Japan, sincerity, confidence and reliability in China and good taste and adventure in the USA.
Red means lack of luck in Chad, Nigeria and Germany, but luck in China, Denmark and Argentina. It shows ambition and desire in India, and love in China, Korea, Japan and the USA. Yellow symbolizes warmth in the USA. but infidelity in France. It is associated with envy and jealousy in Germany and Russia, while representing happiness, good taste, loyalty and trust in China.
Purple is the color of love in China, South Korea and the USA. but it symbolizes fury and envy in Mexico, sin and fear in Japan.
Source From Wikipedia