Why do we assume that a person’s ‘true colors’ are negative?

Upon hearing that someone has “shown their true colors”, many of us assume that the person in question has committed some negative act. In other words, we assume the worst of them.

But why do we do that? Learn more about that tendency we have by continuing with this article.

The idiom “true colors” has an interesting origin

To get to the heart of why we jump to something negative upon learning that someone has “shown their true colors,” it helps to learn about the origin of the phrase itself.

According to Grammarist, the aforementioned idiom is derived from nautical speak. Back in the day, when naval battles involving invading ships were commonplace, some ships would raise flags featuring their enemies’ colors during their journeys.

Captains did that to catch opposing ships off guard. Once they got close, the deceitful ships would launch surprise attacks. The impostor ships would only raise their true flags after the battle, thus showing their true colors.

Perhaps the phrase “showing your true colors” has a negative connotation because it was originally used in that context. Old habits are hard to break, so it’s not surprising that many still use that phrase to convey something negative.

We instinctively look for red flags we think we also have

You know yourself better than anyone else. Whatever flaws you do have are well-known to you already.

When you venture out into the world to meet new people, you also get to mingle with new personalities. At first, you may have a hard time hanging out with a new friend. However, your guard may go up the moment they do something you disapprove of.

In your head, their true colors are showing. They’ve shown a red flag, and you are now keenly aware of it. As soon as you see something you perceive as a red flag, it’s hard to ignore it.

Why is it so hard to ignore? That could be because so many of us are also fixated on our flaws. We think our red flags make us undeserving of love and companionship, even though that is not the case.

Ultimately, our hang-ups about ourselves do not define us. We can work on our shortcomings and improve as people.

Our true colors don’t always have to be bright red flags that we can’t hide any longer. The same holds for the people around us.

We let our preconceived notions dominate our perspective

Think of the person in your mind who you believe is a bad person deep down. Do you really know them?

Sometimes, we let our preconceived notions affect our perspective on reality. Because someone has certain elements in their background, we may think they are more likely to have negative traits.

That’s an unfair way to judge people. It’s also an unhealthy way to look at life in general.

Make an effort to get to know someone and form a real bond with them before deciding their true colors. You may be pleasantly surprised if you take the time to do that.

Assuming that a person’s true colors are negative is something many of us do, but that needs to change. Instead of assuming the worst of someone, why not give them the benefit of the doubt? There’s always a chance that a dear friend or a colleague is just a good person through and through.