BLUE COLOR: PSYCHOLOGY AND MEANING - ARTE

The blue is one of the three primary colors, meeting between violet and green in the spectrum of visible light. According to the psychology of colors, it has a meaning that transmits the calm and paradisiacal of the seas, and the color of the choppy sea that devastates boats. It is the color of the clear sky that lovers look at and the one that assumes in deadly electrical storms.

Blue is an important color for our life on planet Earth, and it can even be important for dressmakers and designers because it never goes out of style. But, does blue have an importance for the psychological life of man? Or is it just one more color?

Color psychology takes it as one of its thirteen core colors and there are compelling reasons for this. The history of art, optics and many other human disciplines also have this color in a central position and many studies have been dedicated to it.

"You are blue, intensely blue, flower, where did your dazzling color come from?" - James Montgomery.

The symbolism of the color blue

In the psychology of color, the starting point is always the study of symbolism. Because the symbolic elements of a color are those that have surpassed the barriers of time and distances. Therefore they are beyond any human interpretation.

They are characteristics that have been fixed through the generations, by mostly primitive associations. Our brain has learned to react to this color with specific emotions and ideas as this has helped us survive as a species.

And now that modern life seems to depend little on our symbolic relationship with colors, these unconscious elements are still present every time we see a color. This means that these reactions go beyond our will and consciousness.

Blue, like any color, has many symbolic associations, some of them universal, others specific to different cultures. Let's start by knowing the main universal associations of the color blue:

Authority (leadership, power, corporate, submission to power).
Peace (calm, tranquility, passivity, relaxation, negotiation).
Masculinity (strength, momentum, bravery, courage, responsibility).
Sportsmanship (activity, energy, competitiveness, physical endurance).
Technology (advance, evolution, future, city, optimization).
Honesty (credibility, credibility, trust, integrity, the truth).
Communication (clarity in words and thought, eloquence, intelligence).

For reasons like the above, it is common to see images of executives, managers and people with high business positions wearing blue ties or elements. Blue is synonymous with carrying power, and also inspires to follow it submissively.

It is the same reason why it is a color used very frequently in political campaigns. Not only does it inspire authority, it creates credibility and a sense of peace. If also used by a man, it promotes his more masculine features, which society seeks.

A good number of news media, such as newspapers, web portals and newscasts, use the color blue because it makes any information more credible and eloquent. Likewise, in advertising it is used to inspire more confidence in the products offered.

In sports and in products for athletes, the use of blue is common, because it carries a clear message of action, energy and resistance. Inspire people to do their best, to compete, to win, and not to give up.

And it is also the flag color of technology, computer development, social networks. It is intrinsically associated with modernity, being up-to-date, dynamic and fast. Therefore, it is the color chosen by those who want to inspire vision of the future.

But let's now look at some of the associations that are specific to specific cultures, but still have an important psychological relationship for Western man. For example, in Korea, Iran and Mexico it is the color of the morning and in Thailand, the color of Friday.

Other specific cultural associations with blue are:

Opposite to what happens in the rest of the world, in Belgium it is the color for girls, while pink is the color for boys.
In China it is associated with pornography, due to the term with which they are often called: "blue movies".
In Hinduism it is related to the deity Sadashiva and to the vishudha chakra (which means "especially pure"). This chakra is tasked with improving communication, fluid thinking, maturity, independence, emotional control, and a sense of security.
It is the color with which the deity Krishna is represented.
In oriental culture it is associated with immortality.
For the Native Americans of the Cherokee tribe it represents defeat and trouble.
It is the color of Jesus Christ for Christian religions.
In ancient Egyptian culture it was the color of protection, used to ward off evil.

Negative associations of the color blue

And the topic of symbolism could not be closed without talking about the negative associations that the color blue, like any other, has. Most relevant of all would be its universal association with sadness and depression.

In fact, in English there is the expression "feeling blue" (literally "feeling blue"), which means feeling sad. And there is also the blues, a musical genre that is characterized by its melancholic and introspective musical and narrative elements.

The image of a person sitting by the window, watching a rainy afternoon is an almost universal symbol of sadness, and it is an image where blue tones predominate. Thus, this color also inspires hopelessness, apathy, fatigue, emotional collapse, among other things.

But it is very important to remember that even negative emotions have their usefulness for the human, if they are managed correctly. Well-dosed sadness promotes states of deep reflection and the development of a more realistic self-concept.

So surrounding yourself with pastel or leaden shades of blue, while it may have a depressing effect, can also help you see life's difficulties more objectively. But it is necessary to do it with balance, so as not to fall into the inaction that sadness promotes.

Another negative association of blue is related to being a symbol of masculinity. Just as you remember the most positive aspects of the masculine, remember its most negative elements, such as coldness, roughness and aggressiveness.

Aggression is also related to the untamed forces of nature, such as tidal waves, hurricanes, and thunderstorms. Darker blues predominate here, and they are variants of this color that can inspire fear in many people.

The 23 variations of blue and their psychological meaning

There are at least 111 varieties of blue that the human eye can distinguish. Some are more common like navy blue, some weirder like bluebell, and some are artist specific varieties like Yves Klein blue or Chagall blue.

There are also brand-specific ones, such as Disney blue, or specific to a location, such as Copenhagen or China blue and, of course, it has its most chromatically pure version, which in this case is cyan.

Some brands invest huge sums of money to position themselves in the market not only through a logo or slogan, but also through a color. Thus, many of the existing logos use unique and proprietary varieties of blue to distinguish themselves.

But far from all that range, there are few varieties of each color that have an emotional and psychological meaning for the group. According to Eva Heller, creator of the psychology of color, there are 23 varieties of blue with specific psychological perceptions.

In their surveys of 2000 men and women of the most varied occupations and ages, blue rose as the favorite color of the majority, and the one with the fewest detractors. Therefore, all its associations are positive or at least neutral.

The table below shows the results of those surveys on 23 varieties of blue. There you will see what is the psychological association and the emotional perception that it produces in most people. Observe them and think about what they make you feel and think.

Source: Psychological colors.

The psychology of blue

In interpersonal relationships

Blue is associated with sympathy, friendship, camaraderie, harmony, and trust. Also with the credibility and honesty, necessary to establish stable and healthy social ties. It is, therefore, an excellent color to promote better interpersonal relationships.

On the other hand, because of its association with the celestial and the eternal, blue represents what you want to endure, with fidelity, with sacred bonds. From this point of view, blue promotes more stable and lasting relationships in families, couples, friends and colleagues.

Using blue in the common or dispersed spaces of a university or a company can promote synergy, teamwork, fluid socialization. By having so many positive associations, it helps bring out the best in everyone during the interaction.

In creative and intellectual activities

Although blue is the color of the credible and plausible, due to its very opposition to the earthly, it is associated with more fanciful or more difficult ideas, without reaching the unreal. This, then, is the color of dreamers, creators, artists and inventors.

On the negative side, blue can be related to lies, but they are often naive or harmless lies; they are more related to fiction, creation, writing or theatrical performance.

That is probably why for many plastic artists blue has been the central color of their work, or they have had periods of exploration of this color. Like Picasso's famous blue period. Also Kandinsky, Matisse and Yves Klein, among others, preferred this color.

If you are interested in writing literature, doing fine arts, practicing dance or any other artistic form, decorating the spaces with blue can be inspiring and let creativity flow. Likewise, if you need to solve a daily problem in a creative way.

This, because blue also stimulates the intellectual aspects. Especially attached to white. It is also the color of concentration. So it is ideal for students, researchers and individuals who need to maximize their capabilities.

In marketing and advertising

It has already been said that blue offers credibility to a product, so using it as a logo or as a relevant part of the packaging can help to sell it better. But that does not mean that any product or service is equally suited to the color blue.

In the case of seafood, blue is excellent, not only for reminding the environment where they come from. Because blue is the coldest color, it gives a sensation of freshness and conservation, which comes in handy, especially if it is about frozen products or where freshness is important.

It is also the color of communication, which is why it is ideal for marketing mobile phone equipment, internet, messaging applications, among others. As it is also the color of technology, it conveys the full message: "it communicates and takes you to the future."

But not only does blue speak to us about technology, but also about science. That is why it is useful to the pharmaceutical industry. Because it conveys the message that behind the product, there are serious scientific studies that guarantee its reliability.

Case in point, the Viagra pill, which was taken very seriously despite acting on an area where it was easy to be taken as a joke. And, in addition, because it is the color of the masculine, it helps more to convince the sector to which it is directed.

It is clear, then, that to market products aimed at men, it is ideal to use blue, often mixed with black. Also for sports products, as they reflect competitive aspects also related to the male gender.

On the internet, for the creation of web pages, it is ideal if it is a news portal, a social network, a forum, a page that promotes viral and current content, among others. Combined with red, it helps to grab attention quickly.

Finally, it is ideal for promoting dietary products, because blue is not the most unusual color in foods consumed by man. Therefore, it is ideal to decorate dining rooms with blue elements, as it helps to feel less hungry and eat smaller portions.

In peace and spirituality

Blue is the color of the sky, and next to white it is the world symbol of peace. It is, therefore, in its clearest variants a color that invites reflection, exploration of faith, tranquility and calm.

It is an ideal color to establish communication with oneself, with the deepest parts of our life, whether spiritual, emotional or intellectual. It is a color that is synonymous with loneliness and peaceful life, a factor that can be used to meditate, pray, reflect, etc.

It is also perceived as the color of passivity, rest and relaxation. In bedrooms, it can help you fall asleep or take a break from everyday turmoil. It also helps improve the intimacy and communication of the couple.

Due to its relationship with water, it speaks of letting itself flow and carry, a necessary aspect to achieve internal peace and conciliation. If white is the symbol of surrender to the enemy, blue is the symbol of conciliation with it, of the definitive cessation of all hostility.

If your favorite color is blue, your personality is…

Personality is an individual psychological construction, where our temperament, our character, our learning and more converge. While there are as many personalities as there are people, there are certain similarities between several of their manifestations.

In the psychology of color, personality is defined based on the color that each person considers to be their favorite and the one that they least tolerate. In this section we will talk about the personality of people who like blue and those who hate it.

Naturally, people who like blue will have several of the aforementioned traits (communication skills, credibility, etc.). But let's take a closer look at ten aspects of the blue personality. If this is your favorite color, analyze the similarities.

They are conservative, rigid, routine and / or old-fashioned people.
They can be not very impulsive and even not very spontaneous.
They have a high need for peace and harmony in their life. Also of order and control.
They may appear confident and self-controlled, but they could be hiding their most vulnerable aspects.
They are sensitive to the needs of others and even more so with their close circle. But they can forget about their own needs.
They do not usually like to attract attention. They prefer to go unnoticed.
They could be manipulative people, although they don't like conflict either.
They prefer few sincere and lasting friendships to many less genuine ones.
They are sentimental people with a taste for nostalgia. The past attracts them.
They constantly want to expand their knowledge and wisdom.

But it is also possible that the color blue is last on your list of favorites. That also has personality implications. For example, it could be that you dislike the routine and need continuous and intense emotions in your life.

People who don't like blue don't feel comfortable with being the one to carry responsibility in a group or project. Or, when they are surrounded by a lot of blue, they may feel depressed or sad.

In other words, several items from those listed in the blue personality will either not be present, or the opposite items will be present. Although for this it is necessary to take into account which color is your favorite, because it is common to find matches in several.

A zentangle of blue waves to close

The zentangles or zen drawings are pieces of non-planned or little planned drawings, of an abstract type, usually in black on a white background, which are created by a specific method. It consists of assembling several structured patterns (tangles) in a box or larger drawing.

It is considered an excellent meditation technique, whether you work with its creation from scratch, or when coloring one already finished. Nowadays, many adult coloring books focused on complex zentangles and their anti-stress use are marketed.

Drawing or coloring zentangles increases creativity, concentration or can promote specific emotions depending on the elements used. From the psychology of color, coloring zentangles with specific colors promotes the gifts associated with it.

So, as an exercise to finish this article, we suggest you color the zentangle that accompanies this section, with varieties of blue that you like. This will allow you to focus on some of the elements that have been discussed here.

As you will see, it is a fairly simple zentangle, which emulates a sea full of waves, and which can allow you to explore traits such as strength, impetus, and courage. Or well, calm, relaxation, peace and spirituality. It all depends on how you approach it.

BLUE COLOR: PSYCHOLOGY AND MEANING - ARTE - 2024