Insight of the Week

Lonely People Prefer Similar Colors

Lonely people prefer similar colors because this visual companionship feels like social companionship.

Nick Kolenda

Last updated April 19, 2024

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Lonely person prefers similar shades of purple

Overview

What's the best color scheme?

It depends.

Colors possess hidden traits, which can influence our preferences.

For example, lonely people crave sociality. Their brain is monitoring for stimuli that resemble companionship.

Well, imagine two colors that look similar.

Lonely people prefer these colors because the visual companionship feels like social companionship (Kwon, Jeon, & Han, 2024).

Same with round numbers.

Round numbers are divisible by (i.e., connected to) more numbers.

This numerical connectivity feels like social connectivity.

$60 divided into two $30s, and these numerical connections look similar to social connections

Buying tickets to a social event?

A $60 ticket might "feel right" if you want social connections, whereas $59.87 can feel disconnected and isolated — the antithesis of your need (see Yan & Sengupta, 2021).

Contrast

Or consider visual contrast.

Some customers want a product that "makes a big difference."

Since their brain is craving a difference, try to provide a visual difference. Choose colors with opposite hues or saturation.

Like before-and-after photos:

A fitness ad with before and after photos. The before version is grayscale; the after version is fully colored

A visual difference implies a conceptual difference: Hmm, something feels different. Guess the product makes a big difference.

Takeaway

Your branding should symbolize the abstract traits that customers are seeking.

What do customers want? A product that is...

...radically different? Use radically different colors.
...reliable and consistent? Use the same color.
...superior to a competitor? Use a contrasting color.
...similar to a competitor? Use a similar color.

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