Colors speak a language that has a more immediate impact than words. They trigger reactions, influence decisions—and they reveal more about us than we realize. Axel Buether shows how our choice of colors shapes our personality, mood, and lifestyle.
Imagine walking into a room full of people. Even before anyone says a word, you’ve already formed an impression. Friendly or aloof? Open or reserved? Competent or unsure? In less than a second, your brain has made up its mind—and color has played a decisive role in that process. The color of a shirt, the shade of lipstick, the interplay of tones in the room: All of these have an impact faster than words and shape our perceptions, judgments, and feelings.
Colors are the mirror of our soul. They reveal more about us than we realize. They affect us not only externally but also internally: They shape our self-image, influence our mood, and provide us with a sense of stability in a world full of impressions. And yet we usually use this powerful means of communication unconsciously.
As the founder of the Institute for Evidence-Based Color Psychology at the University of Wuppertal, I have spent the last few years deciphering the mysterious language of colors. My research shows that color choices are anything but random. They follow deeply rooted patterns that are closely linked to our personalities—more precisely than a favorite color could ever reveal.
Why Colors Move Us So Deeply
Evolution did not give us the ability to perceive color for aesthetic reasons. For our ancestors, colors were a survival advantage. A red glow could warn of fire, a green shimmer could promise food, and a blue sky could provide safety and orientation.
And yet, colors are not properties of the outside world. Outside our bodies, there is only matter and energy—light waves of varying lengths that reflect off surfaces. It is our brain that transforms these invisible stimuli into the colorful image we call reality. The visible world is a construct of our consciousness, a projection of neural processes.
That is precisely why colors—more than any other sensory medium—connect us deeply to our environment. They are the link between external reality and inner experience, between nature and culture, between what exists “out there” and what we feel “within ourselves.” Colors shape our perception, influence our view of the world, and guide our actions.
Even today, processing colors accounts for a large portion of our brain activity—over 60 percent, according to estimates. And most of it happens subconsciously. We “sense” that someone is likable or competent without being able to explain why. In fact, it’s colors that shape our judgment before we even hear the first sentence.
Evidence-based color psychology
Myths about colors have been circulating for centuries: red as the color of love, green as a symbol of hope, blue as a sign of loyalty. Such associations have cultural significance, but they are not enough to explain the full depth of the impact of color.
In my research, I have therefore taken a different approach. Instead of dividing colors into broad categories like “red” or “blue,” I examined the subtle nuances—using the world’s largest color systems (RAL, NCS, Pantone), each of which contains over 2,000 precisely defined shades. After all, not all blues are the same: a soft sky blue tells a different story than a deep navy blue or a vibrant cobalt blue. The result: color preferences aren’t merely a matter of taste. They reflect our personality—and in a surprisingly precise way.
For further reading: Axel Buether, *The Big Book of Color Psychology*, Knaur Verlag, 29 euros
The full article and the in-depth self-test “Which Color Suits Me?” in *bewusster leben*, Issue 6/2025
