Have you ever wondered why McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s all use orange, red, and yellow in their logos and advertising? The truth is, that the these colors supposedly trigger hunger in most people. I know for a fact when I drive past these food chains I always get a little hungry; however, I never believed it was because of the colors incorporated in the logos. If this is true, than that’s definitely some smart advertising. But that made me wonder, how does simply seeing a color spark an appetite?
According to bluesky-web.com, color has an incredible effect on your mood, perception, and likes and dislikes. Red, according to azscience.org, make your heart beat faster and yellow gets your metabolism going, so the combination makes ones hungry. The red easily gets people attention, increases energy, and causes excitement. So, these colors release certain endorphins in your brain which make you hungry. To me, it still seems ridiculous that a color can have a scientific reaction on your appetite. Next time you drive by one of the bright fast food chain’s bright signs you’ll be aware of your instant drive for the fatty foods.
“Color Psychology.” Color Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2014.
This is such a cool topic! As an advertisement major this will definitely come in handy in my field of work. I wonder if there is a link with color and thirst? I mean every time I pass by a Starbucks I really want to get a hot chocolate to go. It doesn’t have the color red in the logo but there’s a whole lot of green and white. Perhaps green makes you thirsty? Maybe it could be a new field for researchers to dive into.
This article explains so much! They say they at parties or buffets, you are likely to eat better and less if you use a blue or green plate. Studies have shown that the colors inspire people to make smarter choices.
This is pretty crazy. I just googled “popular food chain logos” and almost every single one consisted of the color red… Except for taco bell haha. I never really thought about the fact that colors could make you hungry, but I always knew they changed your mood. Great post, would love to look into this more.
I have heard this before and never did any research on it. This topic really interests because most fast food chains do use the same colors on their signs. I always though it was just bright colors to catch your attention and never realized it influenced my hunger. I just thought because I’m driving by and can smell the food it increased my want for it. I never believed that colors could influence our want for food. Here is a pretty interesting article on colors and their affects. http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/a/colorpsych.htm