What Your Favorite Color Reveals About Your True Personality, According To Psychology
Color psychology can help you decode what your dominant traits really are.
Maria Markevich / Shutterstock Colors have both positive and negative effects on all of us, and seeing them can cause different reactions. For example, blue tends to have a calming effect, while red is associated with passion and anger. Color psychology — the study of how colors influence and affect our behavior, mood, and emotions — is therefore an interesting way to learn what your favorite color says about your true personality, as it also explores the way we perceive colors and how color can influence human action and emotion.
Color psychology is used in marketing, advertising, interior design, and even healthcare to coax desired responses from the public. Understanding what different colors elicit from others can help people to communicate better and even achieve their goals, so learning more about what your favorite color says about you can help you better understand the perception you subconsciously send when you surround yourself with it.
What your favorite color says about your true personality, according to psychology
1. If your favorite color is green
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Green represents balance, hope, and peace. If your favorite color is green, you're usually gentle and sincere, as well as down to earth. People whose favorite color is green are very loyal and supportive, making them the best of friends.
Research shows that green spaces have a profoundly calming effect on people, so if green is your favorite color, you are likely drawn to peaceful surroundings and situations.
If green is your favorite color, you tend to be modest and warm. You also have a strong need to belong and to love and be loved. You aren't scared of being vulnerable and feeling your emotions fully, but you can also control your negative thoughts.
2. If your favorite color is blue
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Blue generally relates to being soothing and soft, which is why, if your favorite color is blue, you're likely to have a strong need for inner peace. You also tend to be creative and imaginative, possessing artistic aptitude and creative expression. You tend to have a compassionate, patient, and faithful personality. You may also be spiritually inclined and have a deep connection to the universe.
While you care about what others think of you, you have fluid beliefs that are difficult, if not impossible, to change. Still, you tend to be open-minded and non-judgmental.
3. If your favorite color is yellow
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Just like your favorite color, you are cheerful and optimistic. People who adore the color yellow are literally a breath of fresh air. You're caring, warm, and considerate, plus you have a strong sense of humor and vivid imagination. You're also considered wise and enjoy learning and acquiring knowledge so you can share it with others.
Research has found that pale yellow, in particular, promotes happiness, cheerfulness, and relaxation. If you find yourself drawn to yellow, you are probably most. comfortable in these states. You never take yourself too seriously and look at life with a grain of salt. People who love the color yellow are also often upbeat, fun-loving, and ambitious.
4. If your favorite color is orange
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If orange is your favorite color, you're likely free-spirited and carefree, and people find you to be both good-natured and tolerant. You crave adventure and face challenges with open arms.
People who love the color orange usually have a certain type of spunk about them, but they are always inviting and welcoming of others. You're sociable and outgoing, but may occasionally come across as overconfident or impulsive.
You like to express your individuality, and because of your strong social presence, you tend to experience loneliness easier than others.
5. If your favorite color is red
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You honor strength, health, and passion. Red is a strong color, which is fitting because you possess strong energy that radiates and can be felt by others. You tend to be action-oriented and energetic, though you can come across as aggressive at times, which stems from your strong desire to get the most out of life. You're determined to not only meet your goals but exceed them. You go above and beyond when you do something and you have a fiery attitude.
Red can also be an angry color, so you're probably a bit notorious for having a short temper. However, those who favor this color are the best at love. While these two things may seem at odds, it actually makes sense given that research shows the color red is associated with strong emotions.
6. If your favorite color is black
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If black is your favorite color, you're mysterious and collected. You're also intelligent and value power and control in life, which gives you independent, leadership-minded qualities. You have a knack for entrepreneurship and can command almost any crowd of people.
People who enjoy the color black walk through life with confidence and purpose, and often have a sophisticated or elegant sense of style. You're considered to be dependable and responsible, but tend to be reserved when it comes to sharing your personal life with others.
7. If your favorite color is brown
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If brown is your favorite color, you're considered safe and comfortable, as well as kind and steady. You prefer to live a simplistic lifestyle with a strong need for safety and security.
You're a good and loyal friend to others because you're honest and patient. It takes a lot for people to get under your skin because you have a chill disposition. You're often regarded as a role model due to the calmness you maintain in critical situations.
Mental Health America notes that brown is "a warm, grounding, neutral color that provokes a feeling of safety (probably since it's a rich, earthy color)." So if you. love all things brown, you are likely to be a well-grounded person who makes others feel secure in their presense.
8. If your favorite color is pink
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If your favorite color is pink, people find you warm and approachable. You tend to put others' needs before your own and are often romantic and affectionate. You turn a blind eye to violence and desire safety and security.
People who love the color pink are often deemed too innocent for this world. You're charming, kind, and gentle, but this means you're also delicate and can be hurt easily. You wear your heart on youur sleeve, which can make you a bit sensitive.
9. If your favorite color is purple
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If the color purple is your favorite, you value harmony and peace, and are generally helpful and sympathetic. You have strong attention to detail and are always creating new ideas.
Kendra Cherry, MSEd, explained that "liking purple might mean that you have positive feelings about some of the main associations of the color. So if purple is your favorite color, it might signify that you have an artistic, thoughtful, and intuitive side."
You're unique and witty, although you can be authoritative at times. You're also ambitious and tend to set high goals for yourself.
10. If your favorite color is white
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If white is your favorite color, you're likely to have a positive, optimistic personality and prefer a simple life. You’re considered pure and innocent, just like a fresh coat of snow in nature.
You're organized and logical and tend to make decisions based on facts, rather than emotion. However, this means you also tend to be a perfectionist at times and can be very critical of yourself. People who like the color white are more likely to always do the right thing and respect boundaries. Even though the color white seems plain, you're fascinating and extremely wise with strong convictions.
Brittney Lindstrom is a Licensed Professional Counselor who writes about relationships, organizational psychology and behavior, personality psychology, and more.