The Luscher color test is a psychological test that was created by Dr. Max Luscher. This test alleges to measure a person's ability to handle stress, to perform, and to communicate. The pre-determined test colors are said to measure 23 personality traits of the subject. The unconscious nature of choosing the order of color preference is supposed to provide all kinds of information about a person.
Color Personality Test
I enjoy giving this test to my students who are often surprised that their personality might be analyzed by color preference. But given the difference in color across cultures, I wonder how the Luscher color test would perform with a mixed audience from both east and west?
Color in Context
For example, in the west if you go to a funeral the traditional color of mourning is black. In the east, the color worn to funerals is white. So while the tester is asked not to associate clothing or other contexts with the color in question, I think it is impossible for us as humans to not contextualize color.
Taking the Color Test
As I go through the test I choose the brightest colors first. The first two colors I usually choose are orange and green. The message that this color combination sends is "You want to overcome the obstacles with which you are faced and to achieve special recognition from your success." Isn't this general and something everyone would say they desire? And all this from orange and green?
I always choose black and grey, respectively, as my least favorite colors. The test results of this color combination and order say "You want to overcome a feeling of emptiness and separation from others." Again, isn't this something we all feel at some time?
Does the Luscher Color Test Work?
In my opinion, the Luscher color test is a throw back to the day when people were prescribed to bathe in a certain color of light to achieve healing effects. The advent of penicillin led to the downfall of this quackery. If the Luscher color test is meant to be revealing about a person's personality, I think the Myers-Briggs personality test is much more effective and specific. I like the idea of a standard set of colors chosen in a particular order indicating personality, but the idea of the subconscious choice revealing anything meaningful seems unlikely.
Mary Rayme - Mary Rayme is a graphic designer and arts educator with a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.
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