Why do people associate blue with cool/cold?

Jerboy

Banned
Oct 27, 2001
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Most people associate red with warm/hot and blue cold/cool without thinking twice about it. It is such a common sense to be associated that way. In the real world, it's just the opposite. 2,000K is reddish orange. 6,500K is bluish white. So as you might have figured out, light bulbs are also named with this "opposite scale"

3,000K=warmer white
3,500K=warm white
4,100K=cool white
5,000K=D50, daylight etc.
6,500K=daylight, "cold appearance"



Why do we feel that blue is a colder/cooler color than red or orange?
 

Chooco

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Apr 5, 2002
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it has to do with chemistry sort of so yes it's high tech i gues....

it's because when people freeze to death, they burn blue/white, when you turn on a burner it emits red light. on a summer day, the sun is sort of a yellowy/orange color, on a cold day it glistens off the snow to appear white and when your rods and cones get all screwed up it looks blue. light rays of lower frequency in the red range are very easily turned into heat it seems, ultraviolet and lights on the higher end of the scale don't seem too warm. that is why blue is assosiated with cold. you are thinking in terms of combustion where others think in terms of light frequency they see in the given temperature.
 

dkozloski

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
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When I took an art class 50 years ago blues and greens were called the cool colors. Red, orange and yellow were warm colors. I suppose because the ice in a glacier is a deep blue color and a normal fire is yellow and red. I don't know how to include the concept that a natural gas flame is blue.
 

rimshaker

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Dec 7, 2001
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<< hrm, does this really belong in HT? >>



man, i think my 'staring' thread was technical enough... but it was locked anyway... :|
 

Chooco

Banned
Apr 5, 2002
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i feel for you man, that was relating to physiology, this thread relates to peoples' retarded minds.
 

Peter

Elite Member
Oct 15, 1999
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I guess it's rather the other way around ... stuff that glows or even burns usually is some shade of red, orange, yellow,
that's why Caveman associated those colors with warmth.
 

CTho9305

Elite Member
Jul 26, 2000
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<< I guess it's rather the other way around ... stuff that glows or even burns usually is some shade of red, orange, yellow,
that's why Caveman associated those colors with warmth.
>>



I think this is why. It is much more common to see burning things glow red/orange/yellow, since a blue or white glow requires VERY high temperatures.

I also wonder why your "staring" thread was locked
 

Jerboy

Banned
Oct 27, 2001
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<< I think this is why. It is much more common to see burning things glow red/orange/yellow, since a blue or white glow requires VERY high temperatures.
>>



I think combustion is a different matter. Propane torch flame is pale blue and it's temp is about 1300&Acirc;°C. Incandescent filament is about 2700&Acirc;°C, but it appears less bluer than filament.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
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When somebody gets cold, their lips turn blue.

When you get sunburnt, you turn red.
 

notfred

Lifer
Feb 12, 2001
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Cause fire is red and fire is hot. And water is blue (in large quantities), and it puts out fire. That's really all there is to it. There's no chemistry to why people think blue is cold. Blue is cold cause water is cold.
 

Booster

Diamond Member
May 4, 2002
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<< When somebody gets cold, their lips turn blue.

When you get sunburnt, you turn red.
>>



Yes, I agree with this. I believe this association has nothing to do with science, but rather with conventional human perception of things.
 

XZeroII

Lifer
Jun 30, 2001
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Whoa! No wonder why my shower is cold! I thought red was cold and blue was hot. I'm gonna be living high tonight!