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Do room colors affect how we hear music?

Scientists studied how colors could impact how we hear music, and discovered that it can impact our perception of timbre and warmth.  Results were published in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America in February of this year.  Interestingly, experienced listeners appeared to sense they could detect differences in timbre to a greater degree than casual listeners.  There was no difference in perception of loudness.

This is another example of the amazing way our minds work.  Clearly, room color does not have any real impact on sound, but what we see affects what we think we hear, not unlike when we switch out equipment and accessories. 

karlss0n
slaw's avatar
slaw
26,533 posts
 

I'm sure I remember Bo'jangles, a popular southern fast food restaurant, did research on color and how it may affect dine-in stays. Orange was chosen to promote faster turnover 

bassbuyer's avatar
bassbuyer
893 posts
 

Thanks for the info.  Confirms that there is a difference between hearing and listening.  I find the setting impacts greatly how I enjoy listening to my music.  Color, lighting and my comfort and freedom from other distractions make a difference in my experience.  

mapman's avatar
mapman
23,613 posts
 

Any doubt what color room the blues sound best in?  Question is which shade?

smodking1
15 posts
 

Room color doesn’t matter if you close your eyes and just listen. 

Turning off one of your senses enhances the others. It’s nothing new hear [sic] 😏

stuartk
4,015 posts
 

@smodking1 

Who said anything about turning off senses?

The OP describes how one sense (color) might enhance another (timbral sensitivity).  

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