The impact of clothing colour on approachability in business settings in the UK

This study sought to investigate whether clothing colours influence the perception of approachability in the UK. While previous literature heavily concentrated on emotional responses in colour psychology, less attention was dedicated to the effect of the formation of first impressions. To address this gap, the present experiment recruited 120 participants in the UK and employed a mixed-methods approach to analyse the influence of bright yellow, light green and black clothing on perceptions of friendliness, accessibility, and trustworthiness. The findings demonstrated that on five-point Likert scales, both bright yellow and light green clothing were perceived as equally friendly and accessible; light green and black clothing yielded comparable results in terms of perceived trustworthiness. Through qualitative analysis, participants indicated that light green clothing was regarded as calm and pleasant. Hence, the effect further signalled a degree of professionalism. In view of black clothing being reported to create an emotional barrier due to the projection of competency. This study may be of practical value to client-oriented occupations and job applicants as they aim to develop positive first impressions, as well as the field of colour psychology, which may benefit from further insight into how colours form the impressions of approachability.