When people think of different numbers, it is usual they just think, or maybe even visualize, the number. However, there are a handful of people -including myself- who automatically do something different, something we have done and thought everyone else did as well--which is give the numbers colors and personalities.
I used to think everyone did this, thus leading me to not bring it up or talk about it until last year. I was in my music class and somehow we got on the topic of synesthesia. We talked about how people can "see sounds" or "hear colors" and I brought up the topic of numbers since I thought: doesn't everyone do this? Turns out, I was the only one in my class who thought the number four was purple and shy, but trusted her older cousin, number eight, to protect her from the bullies (numbers seven and nine). This led to me wondering, who else thinks like this?
I heard it's different for everyone, but my music teacher found a pattern in my perception of the numbers- the odd numbers were usually the mean ones whilst the even numbers were shy or nice. Don't ask me why, because I have no idea. Maybe it is the way my math class was when I was little- teaching me odd numbers were not good- or my mind simplified the personification process by putting the numbers into either category. Either way, it is something that must have been engraved into my thinking, since I did not make it up nor can I erase the personalities and colors from my head. The numbers have been the same ever since I was little: 1 is light blue and usually avoids everyone else; 2 is a mixture of green and blue (more blue), shy but is usually friendly with everyone; 3 is red and has a bit of a temper, he the youngest along with four; 4 is a deep purple and is very young, she is the younger cousin towards eight; 5 is an orange-red mixture and has a small temper, but is usually shy and nice; 6 is a forest green and is the "mom" of all the numbers; 7 is also green, but a deeper green than six is, he is a bully and follows the crowd; 8 is a mixture of red and purple, he is very protective of four and sets seven and nine straight; 9 is brown and the biggest bully, he acts like he knows all but in reality, he is trying to seem cool. From ten on, it gets very confusing since you only really need 0-9 to make all numbers.
I'm not sure why I think like this, and maybe it has to contribute to the fact math is my favorite subject. Either way, it is not doing harm, so I can only assume it is doing good or even nothing. I'm sure there are more people who think like this, but maybe I'm the only one who talks about it.
