Comparing Color Meaning And Symbolic Associations Between Individuals And Subcultures

By studying the perceptions of a singular colour across individuals, cultures and subcultures, it becomes apparent that colour meanings and symbolic associations are not universal. The Symbolic Interactionist Theory (Blumer, 1969) supports this, suggesting humans may behave towards a certain colour based on the meanings created both individually or culturally, as well as factors including context and time, and age and gender. The following points elaborate on the diversity of colour meanings and symbolic associations amongst individuals, cultures and sub-­‐ cultures in relation to the colour blue. Individuals may establish colour meaning or symbolic associations toward the colour blue based on factors such as age and gender. According to Pardo, Perez and Suero (2007, p. 438) females’ retinas have both L-cone photo pigments, whilst males’ retinas have only one or the other L-cone photopigments, and as a result both sexes may experience the colour blue differently.

Ellis and Ficek (2000, p. 1378) note that males are more likely to prefer variants of the colour blue than females. They attribute this to neurohormonal factors, which

Dittmar (2001, p. 220) reveals blue is a highly preferred colour amongst adults both female and male, however this preference decreased amongst the elderly. This may be due to the decreasing function of the blue-­‐cone mechanism, the yellowing of the crystalline lens, and possibly the slowing of the basal metabolic rate, which would shift preferences towards warmer colours (Dittmar, 2001, p. 225). Both children (under the age of six) and the elderly also had less of a preference towards the colour blue, and greater preference for brighter colour contrasts, such as red and green, as they promoted spatial orientation and greater