One of my kids recently asked me what my favorite color was. I hemmed and hawed — do adults have favorite colors?
But my actions betray my mind. We were having this conversation in my bedroom, which is painted light blue. In TJ Maxx the other day, I immediately grabbed some blue shirts from the crowded racks. You’ll note the blue shirt I’m wearing in the main photo from my website. We’ve recently bought some new rugs for a few rooms and our wise decorator is only showing me rugs with blue in the pattern.
I doubt I’m the only one who’s this obvious. Adults who can buy their own things with their own money tend to gravitate toward the colors they like best.
Here’s what makes this realization a life hack: If you notice other people’s favorite colors, you can make sure you buy or supply them things in these favorite colors. You’ll make the other person feel seen and appreciated, even if they can’t entirely articulate way.
Let’s say you’re giving a colleague a folder full of materials about a project you’re passing along. No doubt the office store room, or the Staples where you’re grabbing things, has a dozen colors. It’s just as easy to choose your colleague’s favorite color — if you know it — than to choose one she really doesn’t like.
Or what if you’re bringing cupcakes to your book club for someone’s birthday? Let’s say her favorite color is red. You might not be able to find cupcakes with red in the frosting to bring, but you probably can — and choosing those vs. the dozen other options at the bakery will make her just a little bit happier.
Likewise, people often complain that they don’t know what to get for people as presents, or that people don’t like the presents they buy. But it’s entirely possible that the reason your friend doesn’t like that sweater you bought is that you bought it in your favorite color, not hers. You gravitate toward colors you like, so of course you thought it was great. Being able to get out of our own heads and see things as other people see them is a real super power.
Finding out and keeping track of others’ favorite colors isn’t that hard. Kids are used to being asked their favorite colors, so feel free to just ask them — though be warned that this can change frequently. It might be worth checking in with a parent before buying a present just in case.
For adults, just pay attention to the colors they wear and the colors in their homes. If your work best friend has a red planner, a red wallet, and a red water bottle, you can assume that’s not random. When you wrap her birthday present in red paper, she’s just going to assume you have really good taste. That’s not a bad thing for people to assume at all!