Color Preferences Reveal Your Personality

by Geraldo Fuentes Note: If you missed the first part of this feature where the actual color test is given, please go to the test now. This article will make more sense and your test will be more spontaneous and accurate if you do. Many people wrote to us about the Color Preference Test, letting us know that the results were remarkably accurate. We also received numerous requests for additional information on this test and some explanation of how it works. According to psychologists, the colors have deep rooted psychological significance. Their explanation takes us back to a time when humans were living in the wild. Daylight, symbolized by bright yellow, signified a new day, a bright beginning and a welcome relief to the deep blue or black of night, which carried with it the fear of the unknown and the time to hide and bundle up in animal skins for a period of resting and recharging. The green of vegetation promised nurturing in the form of food and medicinal plants and came to represent the a degree of control over nature. Red, especially the brownish hue that he selected, was to represent the color of blood and was therefore linked with the hunt and aggression. In more recent times, marketing and package designers noted that sugar and other sweet products did not sell in packaging that was green while cosmetics suffered the same fate when associated with the color brown. In open ended tests, green was associated with astringent or tartness while blue seemed to best convey sweetness. Modern dyes and tints now allow for a wide array of colors unknown in nature. This is why the instructions warn of association with things like clothing and common objects. Ideally, the colors will have appeal (or the lack of appeal) based on their association with the other colors in the set and this is the most reliable way to "read" our unconscious and inherent interpretations. Another question that was asked related to color blindness. Psychologists addressed this in his work by stating that the results of the test were not influenced by this aberration. According to scientists, since a person with color blindness will unconsciously react to the subtle variations in hue and chroma, the results should be the same. This fact was later confirmed in experiments conducted by L. Steinke (Farbpsychologische Untersuchungen mit dem Luscher-test bei angeborenen Farbsinnstrorungen, University Eye Clinic, Basel, 1960).   The significance of the Eight Positions: Since we have previously confined our analysis of color preference to the "short test" we will describe the first and last colors in this article. Please keep in mind that a more detailed analysis of each position and color is possible but is beyond the scope of this introduction to color theory. Position One is the color "most preferred" and represents a "turning towards" or modus operandi of the person choosing it. It is the means by which one seeks to achieve the desired result or state of being. An example would be a selection of the dark blue, which as previously described, represents the night and the time to rest and prepare for sleep. A selection of this color as the "most preferred" would then indicate that the person choosing dark blue was seeking to attain a state of calmness. Position Eight is the "least preferred" color and represents elements that the person choosing this color is seeking to avoid or is "turning away from." With dark blue in this position, for example, the element of "calmness" is being suppressed and will remain unsatisfied because the individual is coping with a situation in which harmony and calm appear either impossible to attain or appear to be unimportant in the context of current life situations. An easy interpretation would be to say that position one is the state that is being sought while position eight is the state that is being avoided.     The Interpretation of Specific Colors: There are four Primary Psychological Colors: Dark-Blue, Blue-Green, Orange-Red and Bright Yellow. Dark Blue represents "Depth of Feeling" and it has emotional correspondence with tranquillity, calmness, recharging, contentment, tenderness, unification, sensitivity, love and affection. It denotes primary concern for self. Blue-Green represents "Elasticity of Will" and corresponds to persistence, resistance to change, self-assertion, obstinacy, possessiveness and positive self-esteem. It is also associated with concern for self. Orange-Red represents "Force of Will" and corresponds to desire, excitability, domination, sexual interests, aggression, controlled passion and autonomy. It also denotes concern for others over self interests. Bright Yellow represents "Spontaneity" and corresponds to exhilaration, originality, expectancy and variability and the desire to expand and be active. It also denotes concern for others over self interests. There are four so-called Auxiliary Colors: Violet, Brown, Black and Grey. These colors require an explanation. Black and Grey are actually not colors at all but represent the negation of color. Violet is a mixture of Dark-Blue and Orange-Red, while Brown is actually a mixture of Orange-Red and Black. Violet attempts to fully unify the impulsive conquest of red and the gentle surrender of blue. This is a mystical, magical color, that represents intuitive and sensitive understanding of the unreal. It is the preferred color of almost 75 percent of pre-adolescent children. Oddly, it is also preferred by pregnant women and people with hyper-thyroidism and homosexuals of both genders. In short, it can be considered to be a desire for mystic intimacy or understanding. Brown represents sensation as it applies to the bodily senses. It indicates either a need for or a hopeless forfeit of body comfort, depending on its position. This was the "most preferred" color in displaced persons after World War II. Its association with the earthen colors signifies the need for roots or belonging, insecurity or being in a situation in which an individual feels unable to cope. Usually found in the last positions ("least preferred"), brown is significant if it is nearer to the first position and usually indicates a strong need to overcome a bad situation which is causing extreme discomfort, both physical and emotional. Black represents the absolute boundary beyond which life ceases. Black as a "preferred color" means that the person choosing it is rejecting and renouncing everything out of stubborn protest against a situation in which he feels hopeless. It is seen as a rebellion against fate and a revolt against life as the only means for hope. When black occupies the "least preferred" place, it is a statement that one does not want to relinquish anything or give up any ground. This is statistically the most common color in the last position. In part three of this discussion, we will attempt to illustrate the significance of the intermediate color positions and their interpretations. We welcome your comments and ideas. Please address any inquiries to myristicin@hotmail.com. table of contents || Are you Left-eyed?