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Comparative (Cross-Cultural) Color Preference and Its Structure

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Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology

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Synonyms

“Blue-Seven Phenomenon”; Color preference; Cross-cultural color preference; Culture and color; Preference for white in Asia; Structure of color preference

Definition

Surveys on color preference can be found among the very first psychological experiments, with several factors thought to be responsible for color preference, such as age, gender, and geographical area of residence. Although numerous studies have investigated age and gender differences in color preference, very few have concentrated on geographical regions, especially from a cross-cultural perspective. Data from early surveys indicated the existence of cultural differences, especially in Asia where white was commonly and strongly preferred by Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, and Indonesians. Subsequent studies have shown that blue has been consistently preferred in many countries for many years. The term “Blue-Seven Phenomenon” is used to indicate that blue is the universally favorite color. The phenomenon refers to...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Sciences, Waseda University, 359, Mikajima, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan

    Miho Saito

Authors
  1. Miho Saito
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Correspondence to Miho Saito .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Modern, Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

    Ming Ronnier Luo

  2. School of Design, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Ming Ronnier Luo

  3. Graduate Institute of Colour and Illumination, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Ming Ronnier Luo

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Saito, M. (2016). Comparative (Cross-Cultural) Color Preference and Its Structure. In: Luo, M.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8071-7_73

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