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A recent study from South Korea suggests that people with higher IQs tend to share a common preference: the color blue. The research, titled “Intelligence and Color Preferences: Is There a Connection?”, examined 900 students who were surveyed about their favorite colors and subsequently administered standardized IQ tests.
Cold Colors Linked to Higher Cognitive Scores
The findings, widely reported across European media outlets including 20 Minuten, Heute, and L’essentiel, indicate that participants with higher IQ scores showed a statistically significant preference for cool colors—particularly blue. Conversely, those with lower IQ scores demonstrated a stronger inclination toward warm colors such as red and orange, which are associated with immediate emotional arousal.
According to the researchers, blue attracts individuals who are introspective, thoughtful, and oriented toward inner reflection. Philosophically, the color embodies order, resilience, and self-control—qualities associated with both cognitive and emotional intelligence. It also serves as a good indicator of emotional stability, which is essential for stress management.
The study further suggests a cognitive connection between visual stimulus processing and certain brain structures involved in problem-solving.
How Other Colors Rank
The research also mapped other colors to specific traits and intelligence levels:
- White: Clarity, precision, professionalism
- Black: Sophistication and authority
- Red: Presence, though it can be overwhelming; preferred by those with weaker IQ scores
- Yellow: Cheerfulness and casualness; preferred by average IQ individuals
- Pink: Associated with average IQ
- Brown: Warmth and restraint
Experts Urge Caution
Despite the compelling correlation, the research team emphasizes that color preferences are influenced by emotional, psychological, and cultural factors. Blue may be perceived as calming in some cultures but can evoke melancholy or severity in others.
As one report noted, “Of course, favorite color alone cannot be a measure of intelligence. But the accumulation of blue among people with high cognitive performance shows that our color preferences might reveal more about us than we previously thought”.
The findings add to a growing body of research on color psychology, though experts caution against drawing definitive conclusions about intelligence based solely on aesthetic preferences.
- Hector Pascua with reports from heute.at/oe24.at/picture: Image by Andreas Lischka from Pixabay
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