Why Extroverts and Introverts Choose Different Paint Colors
If you are in the business of designing a home that perfectly correlates with how you interact with your environment, then a color palette becomes more than just a color palette. Color can not only reflect the atmosphere you want to create in a certain space, but it can also affect your mood and engage the senses, making it one of the most defining elements of a home. This explains why introverts and extroverts might be partial to different colors.
As behavioral color and design psychology expert Karen Haller explains, “Our personality can influence the colors we’re naturally drawn to, so the colors we choose can be an expression of who we are. How we live then influences which colors we might choose for a particular space, depending on what we’re doing there and how we want to think, feel, and behave.” You might be inclined to believe that the introvert gravitates toward colors that stimulate their internal life and calm the senses, while extroverts choose colors that invite social atmospheres and connectivity.
This would be the obvious answer, and experts say there is some truth to these preconceived notions. However, there is also some myth. So below, I’m diving deeper into the color psychology behind this idea. Plus, what colors can and should belong in an introvert’s versus an extrovert’s home, and what you should choose for your space.
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How Personality Affects Color Choice
This green by Little Greene is saturated and bold, but blue and green are still natural colors, so there is a calming element to it — a balance is created.
(Image credit: Little Greene)
Certain color trends, like sour olives, oxblood, and teal, are an energetic take on natural colors. They bring a certain energy to a space. While light blues, butter yellows, and even chocolate browns are more grounded and soothing. Basically, colors have different effects on space and mood.
However, Karen Haller points out, “Being an introvert or extrovert doesn’t automatically determine the colors you’ll be drawn to. Introversion and extroversion are only aspects of our personality, and many of us have a mix of both tendencies, so they can’t tell us what an exact color palette will be.” However, being aware of sensory-conscious paint color choices and how to decorate with color can help you make a more personally informed decision.
More importantly, defining what ‘introvert’ and ‘extrovert’ mean to you will help you narrow down your color options. Milan-based color expert Charlotte Cropper says to ask yourself the following questions: What do they need from their home? How are they using their home? Is it a quiet retreat from the outside world, or is it a place for hosting family and friends? Or both? How do they want to feel in their space?
Karen Haller is a leading international authority when it comes to behavioural color and design psychology. Specializing in human-centered design, Karen works with businesses, design professionals, and individual clients to help them understand our relationships with color and how it influences the way we interact with a space. She has authored a book on the topic, called The Little Book of Colour, which explains how to use color for your home and your everyday life to improve your happiness, wellbeing, and confidence.
Colors That Work Well for Introverts
An introvert may want to keep the overall scheme calming, with pops of natural colors to create contrast.
(Image credit: Austin Leis. Design: Ome Dezin)
Again, the right color always comes down to how you want the room to feel, who’s using the space, and what it’s being used for. Charlotte says, “I’d describe myself as an introvert, typically choosing warm neutrals and earth tones such as plaster pink and muddy greens for my walls, whereas brighter colors for me appear in accents. A touch of pink in a painting, a pop of orange in a cushion fabric…”
Those neutral color schemes and earthy color palettes make sense for a more serene interior environment — which is what you’d expect from an introverted personality. “Introverts generally lean towards creating a home that feels restful and restorative, so the colors that reflect that feeling will often be much softer and calmer,” adds Charlotte. Think “calmer palettes, from restful whites and neutrals to grounding greens, blues, and pinks.”
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Charlotte Cropper is a leading color consultant based in Milan, celebrated for her instinctive use of color and form. With a deep understanding of color psychology, her work explores how color shapes the way we feel, interact, and connect to the spaces we call home. Charlotte runs her own independent color studio and collaborates with Bauwerk Colour, specializing in natural limewash finishes.
Extroverted Colors
An extrovert may prioritize social environments with saturated palettes. This listening room, while bold, doesn’t feel overwhelming.
(Image credit: Austin Leis. Design: Ome Dezin)
“For an extrovert who craves energy and excitement, your home becomes a blank canvas,” says Charlotte. Think brighter, bolder colors that reflect that famous social energy — “from mid-tone blues and teals, perhaps more saturated sour greens to richer ochers, pinks and oranges,” suggests Charlotte.
Especially with the rise in gathering-centered interior design trends, deeper, richer colors can create a more specific atmosphere that engages the senses. And “rich or bright colors can be wrapped onto larger surfaces too, not just introduced as accents,” adds Charlotte. For instance, a listening room wrapped in oxblood creates that cocooning environment; then contrast that with light yellow chairs to bring the social vibes back up.
However, this isn’t to say that an extrovert will always love intense color in a room; balance in design is essential. Take blue, for example. “Someone might choose a light, soft blue when they want to unwind, a deeper blue when they want to concentrate and focus, or a vibrant turquoise when they want to feel mentally invigorated,” says Karen. Whether they’re more introverted or extroverted doesn’t automatically tell us which of these they’ll want. “It depends on their personality as a whole and what they need from that particular space,” Karen adds.
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When You Shouldn’t Follow This Theory
You should always leave room to mix and match aesthetics based on how you want specific rooms in your home to feel.
(Image credit: Anson Smart. Design: Greg Natale)
While these color categories are great for getting an idea of how you might want to build your home’s palette, they definitely aren’t the end-all, be-all. In fact, Karen says, “I’m going to call this one out as a myth. Introverts don’t always gravitate towards soft, less saturated colors, just as extroverts don’t always go for bright, highly saturated ones.”
Karen explains that you should always consider the person alongside what they need from the room. “Each color has its own psychological properties, and its saturation can also change how we experience it,” she says. So rather than thinking there are particular colors for introverts or extroverts, it’s about creating the right experience for that individual.
On top of that, “we all respond to colors based on our memories, associations, and the cultures we live in, or have lived in, so it’s easy to see how we interact with color based on so many different factors,” adds Charlotte.
Most of us are probably a mix of both introvert and extrovert tendencies. “My color personality is spring, so I use colors from the spring color palette,” explains Karen. “In my living room, I’ve chosen a soft, light blue for the walls to help soothe my overactive mind, whereas in my kitchen I need brighter, more vibrant colors, such as orange and yellow, to give me energy and make cooking fun.”
Consider when and where you want to lean into an extroverted or introverted atmosphere, and let each room have its own narrative.
Rather than thinking about whether a color is typically associated with an introvert or an extrovert, “I’d always start with the individual and how they want to experience that space. From there, color can help create the atmosphere that feels right for them,” says Charlotte.
Still, it’s always fun to see how our personalities correlate with our design choices. I, for one, love trying to incorporate my zodiac power color into my home.
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