The Science Behind: Favorite Colors (Cover- Ishita Aggarwal)

So a few days back, I conducted a small experiment of my own and asked everyone in my family what their favorite color was. Now as I had expected everyone had an answer. Not exactly revolutionary.

Then I followed up and asked, why? Why do you like this color better than others? And I got what I was expecting, no one was able to give an answer that was really reasonable or scientific.

I just got - “I don’t know”, “ I just like it”, “It looks pretty”

Well, this answer didn’t really satisfy me. And it led me to think, why do people have favorite colors? And what makes them like that specific color more than others?

Well, researchers have found that we prefer colors based on which objects or experiences we associate them with. It’s the nature of the brain to link things like color, taste, sounds, textures, and smells with experiences we’ve had or objects we’ve seen. I’m sure all of you can relate to this. If you’ve ever smelled a certain scent and been transported back to your childhood, it would bring the feeling of nostalgia. If you ever eat a dish that maybe you tasted in a loved one's funeral, it would bring the feeling of sadness. My father got bit by a dog when he was a child, and to this day when he hears a barking sound, he gets scared. The same thing applies to color. Your favorite color probably reminds you of a good experience, giving you the “good” feeling and inducing you to like it better.

What about objects? Now objects don’t exactly trigger a good memory nor a good feeling. But because of our upbringings and cultures, there are certain objects that we classify as good and bad. Researchers from Psychology Today explained, “That in general, people should favor colors associated with a clear sky and clean water (blue and cyans for example) and be repulsed by colors associated with negative reactions (brown, for example, which is associated with rotting food and poop.)” So more simply, the object that you see as bad or harmful, can make you have a similar feeling for the color of it. On the other hand, if there’s an object you find particularly pleasing or nice, you will have the same feeling for the color of the object.

So this is the science behind your favorite color! If you have a favorite color try to find out why is it because it reminds you of something or maybe brings back a good feeling? Anyways thank you so much for reading this article, I hope all of you have learned something new. If you have any questions leave them down in the comments! See you all next time!

Happy Learning,

Ishita Baghel

Sources:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-new-brain/201104/why-we-prefer-certain-colors

https://www.ideelart.com/magazine/the-psychology-of-colours-why-certain-colours-appeal-by-ideelart

https://www.pnas.org/content/107/19/8877