How many of you have heard the term “color psychology”? Color psychology is the study of the effects of color on mood, emotions, and behavior. Color psychology is used everywhere, especially in business. I’m sure most people overlook this on a daily basis, but that’s pretty much the point. It’s supposed to subconsciously work in our minds. If these tricks were so simple to catch, we wouldn’t be fooled so frequently. Let’s take a look at fast food restaurants as an example.

If you look closely at fast food restaurant logos, you may notice a common trend. Most of these logos contain one or all of these colors. The colors are red, yellow, and orange. Color psychology defines red as an eye catching color and an appetite stimulator. Red is often used to attract the attention of prospective customers and lure them into the restaurant. Red is also known to be an appetite stimulator. Ever wonder why fast food places may want to use this color so frequently? Perhaps so their customers will order more items from the menu? Next, color psychology explains how yellow stimulates our eyes. This color helps bring more people into the restaurant. However, too much yellow can be irritating on the eyes. Did you ever notice a fast food restaurant with yellow walls on the inside? They may be trying to tell you something. Maybe they want you to eat more quickly so they can free up more tables for the upcoming customers? Last, color psychology relates orange to needs and hunger. Fast food restaurants don’t just want you to crave their food, but they want you to need it as well.

The one color you will least commonly see at fast food chains is blue. Blue is a color that our brains have been trained to stay away from. Blue is a color that we are pre-conditioned to associate with something poisonous or something that has gone bad. You may notice that not too many naturally occurring foods are the color blue. Because of this, color psychology says that blue can act as an appetite suppressant. This could be an absolute disaster for fast food restaurants because they want you eating as much as possible. Take a closer look at these restaurants and you will notice that blue is very rarely used. You may also notice that many of the uniforms aren’t in blue. Coincidence…I think not!!

Next time you go to a fast food restaurant, which is hopefully infrequently, take a look at the colors. Pay special attention to red, orange, and yellow. Then, see how much blue you can spot. Did you know that many studies suggest that eating your meal off of a blue plate will make you eat less due to blue’s appetite suppressant qualities? Give it a try sometime!

-Tom