Your Favorite Color: What it Says About You

• Annie B. Bond

Whether we’re a vibrant Orange, or a peaceful Blue, our color preferences are  a key to understanding our personalities. Find out what this color expert has to  say about your favorite color. What does it reveal about who you really are?

White: Symbolic of purity, innocence and naiveté, white has  strong connotations of youth and purity. If you are an older person, your  preference for white could indicate a desire for perfection and impossible  ideals, maybe an attempt to recapture lost youth and freshness. It may also  symbolize a desire for simplicity or the simple life.

Red: The color of strength, health, and vitality, Red is  often the color chosen by someone outgoing, aggressive, vigorous and  impulsive—or someone who would like to be! It goes with an ambitious nature but  those who choose it can be abrupt at times, determined to get all they can out  of life, quick to judge people and take sides. Red people are usually optimistic  and can’t stand monotony; they are rather restless and not at all introspective,  so they may be unaware of their own shortcomings. They find it hard to be  objective and may blame others for any mishaps. Quiet people with a preference  for red may feel the need for the warmth, strength and life-giving qualities of  the color, or they blanket their true feelings under a sober exterior. Red is  usually chosen by people with open and uncomplicated natures, with a zest for  life.

Maroon: Harsh experience has probably matured the Maroon  person into someone likable and generous. It is often a favorite color of  someone who has been battered by life but has come through. It indicates a  well-disciplined Red personality—one who has had difficult experiences and has  not come through unmarked but who has grown and matured in the process.

Pink: This color embodies the gentler qualities of Red,  symbolizing love and affection without passion. Women who prefer Pink tend to be  maternal. Pink desires protection, special treatment and a sheltered life. Pink  people require affection and like to feel loved and secure, perhaps wanting to  appear delicate and fragile. Pink people tend to be charming and gentle, if a  trifle indefinite.

Orange: This color of luxury and pleasure appeals to the  flamboyant and fun-loving person who likes a lively social round. Orange people  may be inclined to dramatize a bit, and people notice them, but they are  generally good-natured and popular. They can be a little fickle and vacillating,  but on the whole they try hard to be agreeable. Orange is the color of youth,  strength, fearlessness, curiosity and restlessness.

Yellow: The color of happiness, wisdom and imagination,  Yellow is chosen by the mentally adventurous, searching for novelty and  self-fulfillment. Yellow usually goes with a sunny and shrewd personality, with  a good business head and a strong sense of humor. It is the color of  intellectuality and all things to do with the mind. Yellow folks are usually  clear and precise thinkers who have a good opinion of their own mental  capacities and who have lofty ideals. They may at times tend to shun  responsibility, preferring freedom of thought and action.

Green: The color of harmony and balance, Green symbolizes  hope, renewal and peace, and is usually liked by the gentle and sincere. Greens  are generally frank, community-minded people, fairly sociable but preferring  peace at any price. Green people can be too self-effacing, modest and patient,  so they may get exploited by others. They are usually refined, civilized and  reputable.

Blue: Soft, soothing, compassionate and caring, Blue is the  color of deliberation and introspection, conservatism and duty. Patient,  persevering, conscientious, sensitive and self-controlled, Blues like to be  admired for their steady character and wisdom. They are faithful, but are often  worriers with somewhat inflexible beliefs and can be too cautious, and  suspicious of flamboyant behavior.

Blue-Green: Exacting, discriminating, poised and attractive,  the Blue-Green person tends to be sensitive, intellectual and refined,  persevering and stable if rather detached. Blue-Greens have excellent taste, and  are usually courteous and charming, capable but often refusing help or  guidance.

Turquoise: Complex, imaginative and original, Turquoise  people drive themselves hard and may be in a state of turmoil under their  outwardly cool exterior.

Lavender: This is often chosen by a person who lives “on a  higher plane,” who never notices anything sordid and who is always impeccably  and beautifully dressed. Lavender people may be on a continual quest for culture  and the refined things of life, high and noble causes but without the necessity  of getting their hands dirty. A Lavender person is usually creative, charming,  witty and civilized.

Purple: Purples are highly individual, fastidious, witty and  sensitive, with a strong desire to be unique and different. Temperamental,  expansive and artistic, a Purple person may become aloof and sarcastic when  misunderstood. If you chose Purple, you tend to be unconventional, tolerant and  dignified, likely to achieve positions of authority.

Brown: A Brown person has stamina and patience, tending to  be very solid and substantial, conscientious, dependable, steady and  conservative. Browns are not impulsive, and may be inarticulate and tactless but  they love responsibility and are reliable and kindly. If you chose Brown, watch  out for a tendency to be obstinate and inflexible.

Gray: The color of caution and compromise, diligent Grays  search for composure and peace and often work hard without reward. Older Grays  like life to run on an even keel with few ups and downs. Young Grays may be  withdrawing from life and suppressing their personalities. Grays often have good  business ability and tend to work too much.

Black: Dignified and impressive without being showy, Black  people want to give the appearance of mystery, but their preference may also  indicate a suppression of desires and worldly aims, suggesting hidden depths and  inner longings.

Adapted from The Healing Power of Color by Betty Wood (Inner  Traditions, 1998).