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How colours influence us
Colour is everywhere. We see it in the autumnal shades of leaves, when we look out of the window and in the faces of those around us. The human eye can distinguish between around 200 hues, with around 500 intensity levels per hue and 20 variants with different proportions of white. This means we can see around 20 million colours! However, 99% of the colour information we encounter in everyday life is processed unconsciously by our brain. Or do you still remember what colour eyes the shop assistant you spoke to yesterday had?
Although we only consciously perceive a fraction of these colours, they influence us in many areas of our lives. In this article, we examine how colours influence our perception of food, our health and our shopping habits.
You eat with your eyes first
Imagine sitting in a fancy restaurant with a beautifully presented dish in front of you. The presentation alone is making your mouth water. But what’s that? Is the spaghetti blue?!
Although blue is one of the most popular colours in our culture, we are often sceptical about blue foods. In nature, blue foods are rarer than other colours. Even blueberries, which are named after their colour, are often purple or even reddish in nature. When strong blue tones occur in nature, it is likely to be a poisonous mushroom or bluish green mould, so they are therefore an indication that the food in question is inedible or even poisonous. This widespread disgust of blue food is therefore rooted in evolution.
What do colours taste like?
Colours not only influence whether we want to try food, but also how it tastes. You know how it goes—everyone gobbles up the red gummy bears first. Who wouldn’t when they taste like strawberries? But do they really? Can you tell the difference between red and green gummy bears when blindfolded?
In our part of the world, red foods are generally perceived as sweeter and fruitier, while green foods taste more sour. This is so much so that experienced wine lovers can distinguish real red wine from white wine that has been dyed red. However, it is important to note that the taste of colour is also influenced by our culture. In America, for example, red tends to be associated with cinnamon.
Tricking your taste buds
An experiment with 150 participants showed that even the colour of ambient light can influence the taste of wine. Wine tasted significantly more flavourful in blue light than green or white ambient light. Wine also tasted fruitier in red light than blue light. There were similar results in a study on the influence of mug colour on the taste of hot chocolate, where hot chocolate was thought to taste better when served in an orange mug.
Colourful nutrients
When we enter our favourite supermarket, our senses are bombarded with a variety of stimuli. As soon as we enter the shop, we are met with the inviting aroma of fresh bread and the colourful selection of fruit and vegetables next to it. Bright yellow bananas compete with juicy red apples. And did you see those tantalising purple figs? Even when we are shopping, we are guided by colour. In the fresh produce section, bright colours are a good indicator of which products have reached peak ripeness and are therefore rich in nutrients and vitamins. The colour of food also provides important clues about the nutrients it contains. Green foods like spinach, broccoli and kale owe their colour to their high chlorophyll content. Chlorophyll is a secondary plant substance that has a positive effect on human metabolism. Carotenoids, which give carrots, peppers and sweet potatoes their unmistakable orange colour, are also a secondary plant substance. Yellow foods like lemons also contain carotenoids, which are said to protect the body against cancer and vascular diseases. As a precursor to vitamin A, carotenoids are also important for skin and eye health. Red foods like tomatoes and strawberries owe their colour to the pigment lycopene and also usually contain large amounts of vitamin C, folic acid and flavonoids, which strengthen the immune system and prevent inflammation. Having a colourful mix of food on your plate is therefore an indicator of a nutritious and healthy meal that will provide you with lots of important micronutrients.
Deceived by red-tinted glasses
We intuitively reach for the most nutritious types of fruit and vegetables thanks to our evolutionary development. We actually rely on this innate knowledge when buying meat. Even Neanderthals knew that fresh raw meat must be red. Grey or green meat makes our inner food safety inspector sound the alarm. At the meat counter in supermarkets, steak is often lit with red light or even dyed red so that it looks as appetising as possible.
And the deeper we go into the supermarket, the less we see products in their natural state and the more we are influenced by their packaging. You may have noticed that a lot of packaging is red. Red and yellow stimulate our appetite, while encouraging us to eat quickly. So it’s no wonder that many fast food chains like McDonalds and Burger King have taken advantage of this by using these colours in their logos. Other colours also communicate subliminally with consumers. For example, green packaging is often perceived as more natural and environmentally friendly, while black Nespresso packaging conveys elegance and luxury.
The influence of colours on our senses and decisions is both fascinating and complex. Although we are often unaware of how colours influence our behaviour, they play an important role in our daily lives. From our food choices to our shopping habits, colours are more than just aesthetic details. They are a living part of our everyday experiences and shape our world in a subtle but powerful way. By being aware of these influences, we may be able to make more conscious decisions and live life in colour.
References
Deutschlandistvegan. (2021). Treib’s bunt! so isst du nach dem Regenbogenprinzip. Deutschland is(s)t vegan. https://www.deutschlandistvegan.de/vegan-essen-nach-regenbogen-prinzip/#:~:text=Bei%20der%20sogenannten%20Regenbogendi%C3%A4t%20oder,die%20wei%C3%9F%20und%20braun%20sind.
Morrot, G., Brochet, F., & Dubourdieu, D. (2001). The color of odors. Brain and Language, 79(2), 309–320. https://doi.org/10.1006/brln.2001.2493
Oberfeld, D., Hecht, H., Allendorf, U., & Wickelmaier, F. (2009). Ambient lighting modifies the flavor of wine. Journal of Sensory Studies, 24(6), 797–832. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-459x.2009.00239.x
Piqueras‐Fiszman, B., & Spence, C. (2012). The influence of the color of the cup on consumers’ perception of a hot beverage. Journal of Sensory Studies, 27(5), 324–331. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-459x.2012.00397.x
Seana. (n.d.). Es wird bunt: Essen nach den Farben des Regenbogens. https://www.freeletics.com/de/blog/posts/farbe-auf-dem-teller/
Sekundäre Pflanzenstoffe und Gesundheit. (n.d.). DGE. https://www.dge.de/wissenschaft/fachinformationen/sekundaere-pflanzenstoffe-und-die-gesundheit/#c4297
