Colour is perceived differently in different cultures. For example, Chinese and Japanese have a character with a meaning that covers both blue and green. Japanese also have two terms that refer specifically to the colour green. Japanese traffic lights have the same colours as those in other countries, but the green light is described using the same word as blue, “aoi”, because green is considered a shade of aoi.
Another example is the color white. While white is used in many Western countries to represent purity and innocence, it’s seen as a symbol of mourning in many Eastern countries. Both natural and artificial light come in a range of colors, so light is also perceived differently by many cultures.
This doesn’t just apply to coloured light. White light is available in a range of different hues from warm to very cold. As lighting designers, we categorise these different whites using a colour temperature scale. 2700 Kelvin is a warm yellow/orange white, whereas 5000 Kevin and up is a very cool blue white – the higher the colour temperature the colder the colour.
The light we prefer is strongly related to culture. Generally western people feel more comfortable in The light we like is closely tied to culture. Generally speaking, Westerners feel more comfortable in low color temperatures such as 3000K, while Easterners prefer high color temperatures such as 4000K or 5000K.
Why is it like this? Maybe it depends on the climate. In Hong Kong our weather is much more humid and we want our homes to be dry and comfortable. The climate in the Northern region is hot, and people want to escape the heat in their cool homes.
Or maybe it comes down to “nurturing.” In post-war Japan, most homes were equipped with cool white fluorescent lights. The fact that most Japanese grew up with the cool blue hues of fluorescent lighting certainly affects the type of white they feel comfortable with.
Regardless, research shows that people from the same region, regardless of race, have the same color preferences.
So, what color of white do you prefer?
