A cross-cultural and developmental investigation of the association between color and temperature

The perception of colors involves many contexts in which human beings develop connections. Colors and temperatures are seemingly unrelated concepts, yet our brains have created ways of linking them. According to the literature, primarily from Western cultures, colors such as red and yellow are typically associated with warmth, whereas blue is associated with coolness. However, the universality, cultural specificity, and developmental trajectory of this association remain poorly understood. To explore whether the association between color and temperature is a phenomenon limited to certain cultures or a collectively shared mechanism among many cultures, we conducted an online survey using a set of 20 colors comprising five hues and four tones. Children and adults from various regions of the world were asked to choose a color that felt warmer during pairwise comparisons. The results demonstrate universality in hues and cultural specificity, particularly in tones (lightness and saturation elements of colors). In addition, age-specific comparisons between cultures revealed different trajectories of this association during development, highlighting cultural influences.