Elisabeth and Lena and others: I've been thinking about this introverted personality/ bright clothing dichotomy some more and have come up with another possibly harebrained theory... basically, I am a textbook myers-briggs introvert, and one of the identifying characteristics of introverts is that social interactions require the expenditure of energy, whereas an extrovert derives energy from the same interactions. So I'm thinking that maybe the colorful clothing is a means by which introverts can derive the energy that we need for social interaction.

Hey, neat idea, Diana!

This is one of the most interesting threads I've ever read!

Diana, I'd buy that argument. I'm naturally introverted and I find that wearing color makes me feel more confident and socially extroverted. There's no shrinking in the corner if you're wearing yellow or bright coral! Color also attracts the attention of others, and men especially, I've found. DH always reacts more positively to my colorful outfits.

Diana and Nancylee, you make excellent points.

I'm definitely sensitive. Most of the questions on the quiz described me. I prefer to work and drive in silence, except for long solo trips where I blast the radio and sing. I'm musical myself but I don't particularly like listening to it unless I can give it my full attention. Then I really love it. I can be by myself for days at a time and be pretty content. It's not that I don't like people, but sometimes they drain me.

On one hand I love color- saturated blues, sea green, hot pink. But sometimes I can't stand it at all. I used to have walls of all different colors, now I painted them all white. So I go through phases in color sensitivity and preferences.

I had this problem with patterns when I first found YLF. I'd buy solid, solid, solid, super loud print. My husband called them my crazy shirts, because every few months I'd bring home a bizarrely loud shirt (and return it). Eventually I found the middle ground- richer, more subtle prints.

I think as I get to know and accept myself, I'm finding balance. I've learned to ground one or two bold colors with neutrals. I go to bed early with a good book when I need to recharge. Probably because I understand and take care of myself better, I'm also more social and energized than I used to be.

Kristine , I totally relate to what you have said, not only color, but bold/loud pattern also repels me in a different direction . I am a solid girl for the most part...I am wondering if that also apply's to others who are color sensitive.

Sensitive me forgot to add above that with patterns, I prefer smaller more delicate patterns to bolder ones and more geometric, even patterns to very abstract ones. I also like false solids (subtle patterns that look like solids at a distance). My eye seems to prefer to impose an order on the various color combinations. Like Taylor above, bold /loud patterns repel me, but I may like them others.

Such an interesting thread. I am a highly sensitive person both physiologically and socially. My DH is not sensitive at all. I will walk into a room that he is relaxing in...with bright overhead lights on, music blaring on the big, bright screen TV and cringe. I quickly turn off the overhead light in exchange for subdued lamp and request that he turn down the volume. I am perfectly happy to not turn on any music, whereas that is the first thing he does when he comes in a room. I can feel tags in clothing, constricting clothes and shoes make me nuts. He recently painted our picnic table a bright yellow without asking me first and I about flipped out. I do not tolerate our cold winters well because I am very sensitive to the cold. I jump at loud noises and avoid large crowds. I much prefer small groups or one on one talks to large parties. I try to avoid having too many things going on at once because I just can't process it. We joke that I have a "dog nose" at home because my sense of smell is acute that I can smell the most subtle of odors. I have been classified as shy and day dreamy all my life.

I enjoy music and dancing and fireworks, but am uncomfortably stimulated by them and have to take a break. Wow. After writing all that, I sound like a freak. You wouldn't know it just meeting me though, I control it well and am able to function daily. I do get overwhelmed easily though and some people don't understand when I avoid certain situations or if they ask me to do too many things. I worked briefly as a waitress in my younger years and as you can imagine, it was a nightmare for me. But, I did it and managed to make pretty good money.
My father was the same way and combined with other mental illness issues, we lost him to suicide at 59. I am careful not to take on more than I can handle.

wow! this thread is just fascinating! thank you to EveryOne for contributing - there are certain categories and 'themes' to this, but manifesting in so many unique combinations. talk about diversity!

i scored 24 on the test - very highly sensitive! it used to bother me a lot and i'd get overwhelmed quite easily, but kundalini yoga and meditation have helped me so much in this regard that it's seldom an issue anymore. i DO tend towards neutrals. but for me a lot of it has to do with the fact that because i'm so sensitive to color a newtral look can seem very 'colorful' to me. in this look, for instance, i can see many different colors - griege grey, icy grey, khaki tan, bleached bony-khaki, straw with dusty charcoal flex....

it also just has to do with my coloring. i'm on the lighter side with low contrast, so it's easy for my physical self to be overwhelmed by lots of color. the colors i do look well in (and that meet my hypersensitive standards) are pretty rare - warm corals, lime-y greens, sages to olive drabs, just this side of warm blues.

i also love detail, unusual silhouettes and texture. if i wear all the detail i want on a wacky silhouette with a 'loud' color palette i feel it overwhelms my physical aesthetic. if i had caramel skin, auburn hair, golden brown eyes and strong bone structure i think my body would have a better chance of being enhanced by all that! but as things stand, i'll sacrifice color in order to play with detail and silhouette all i want.

my heart goes out to all of you who have been touched by suicide. we've been affected by this in our family as well, it's hard and you never stop missing the person and having unanswered questions. i can say that over the decades it does seem that more useful and accurate info about prevention and the aftermath is getting out there, which gives me some hope.

steph

LOVE this discussion. So fascinating!

Cilleena - we're soul mates! Everything you said! Smells & noises. (My husband is a sound designer, and sometimes I hear things he doesn't even hear!) I can "turn it on" in situations when I have to. I used to work in a small department where we had frequent meetings, and my supervisor told me I had to contribute more if I wanted to get good reviews. It was torture! Sometimes I have to socialize or network for career things, and I HATE it so much. Even meeting the fabulous YLF ladies required me to "turn it on." I needed a whole day to recover - no slight to any of the ladies, but I was pushed out of my comfort zone!

I also don't like my hands being wet. When I'm cooking and have to wash vegies, wash the cutting board, etc., I'm constantly drying my hands. I also don't like being wet right out of the shower - have to dry off right away. I love being IN the water, though. (And I'm not OCD - just sensitive!)

As for how it relates to fashion - my coloring is high contrast (dark hair, pale skin) so I struggle with what (I think) looks good on me. Imogen (Inside Out Style) did a great series about finding your contrast level, and I often think of that when I dress.

I like some contrast - I think of my style as "Simple Drama." Sounds like a bit of a contradiction, no? For instance, I like a simple, simple white tee shirt with a black jacket over it. I get the contrast, but it's simple. Sometimes I think I should just go full force for an entire black and white wardrobe, but I can hear Angie weeping even as I type that.

I really do not like prints on me. I think with my crazy curly hair, I have enough going on - I don't need anything else added. I have made many mistakes this past year buying prints, trying to push myself to try new things, but in the end, I don't wear them. I've decided if I do buy a (subtle) print, it needs to have black in it - I guess that's my anchor?

I'm getting back to solids, neutrals, gray, navy, and B&W! Boring to most others, but makes me feel good.

Tarzy, I can relate so well to that "turn it on" thing. I call it my social face. Not that I'm being fake with people, just that it takes a lot out of me to socialize in groups of more than 3 or so people, particularly if they are strangers or just acquaintences. I like people and need social interaction or I get lonely, so I'm not totally introverted or reclusive. I just need to gauge my social and other "stimulating" activities.

This has certainly been a very interesting discussion! I have been thinking a lot about this, and have been wondering: what about those who are sensitive in that they notice, feel, hear, experience all these small details but are NOT overstimulated/overwhelmed by them? I don't mean that someone is overly sensitive in one or two of these areas, but really is sensitive to ALL these types of things and perhaps isn't overstimulated by all or maybe just some. Does this put one out of that highly sensitive group, somewhere in the middle, something else entirely?

Aida, I was thinking about this same thing. I did not test highly sensitive on that site and I'm pretty sure I was at the bottom of the scale (senseless?) with only 5 questions answered yes. I am not easily rattled or bothered by most of the things that were listed. But I don't think that makes me unaware or less likely to NOTICE details or sounds or lights or colors.

It's hard not to attribute a value judgment to something like this test ("Whaddya mean I'm not sensitive?" or "I'm over-sensitive?!") which makes it harder to figure out what it really indicates. I felt the same way about the Myers-Briggs test, to a degree.

Fascinating to think about!

Elisabeth, you are 100% spot on about your theory. I have written several times in the past that I use my clothes as a voice, as I am often at a loss to find my own. I am extremely introverted according to the tests I have taken--something like an 80/20 breakdown, maybe even more so. I am so quiet I often feel like I just disappear. My coworkers often tell me they didn't even know I was in the office because I am so quiet. If I wore muted, quiet clothes, I feel I'd be practically invisible.

Of course, the colors I choose to wear are absolutely the colors that I feel look best on me as well. No getting around that.

Jean, I think your "true self" actually encompasses the different personas you put on. I don't reveal my ENTIRE self to almost anyone, but I do tend to customize or perhaps curate my personality traits to whomever I am talking to. I don't feel this is inauthentic--all of these aspects of my personality are true and make me the individual I am. But not all of them need to be shown to everyone at once. I am, as I said, very quiet and shy...but once I feel comfortable enough to move past that, I tend to never shut up! Both of these seemingly contradictory qualities are present with me and very real.

Aida, i think you may be on to something...we seem to be a creative sort, so details are definitely something i focus in on...details don't overwhelm me at all...I seem to focus on the most trivial of details such as symmetry, balance, and how I can see perfection in imperfection...by making something intentionally imperfect looking(it takes a lot of time)...does that resonate with anyone?

This thread has been interesting to read, and the test was interesting. After seeing all the comments about how high most scores were, I figured mine would be too. Then I took the test and answered yes to a grand total of four questions. So I guess Una and I are in the same boat (perhaps attorneys aren't as highly sensitive as other people!). I guess I'm going against the norm here, because I'm not highly sensitive -- or maybe I should say I am highly insensitive -- and I adore my bright colors. I do think some of the theories on quieter people wearing brights are compelling, even if they don't apply to me.