It's a classic conversation starter - what's your favourite colour?

Now, scientists have revealed what your answer says about you.

According to Professor Sabine Ruaud, a professor of marketing at EDHEC Business School and Rose K. Bideaux, a researcher at the University of Paris, your favourite colour can give a strong indication of your age.

If brown is your go-to shade, you're probably a baby boomer, according to the researchers.

But if it's lime green you're drawn towards, you're probably a Gen Z.

Lovers of pink, meanwhile, are usually millennials.

'Successive generations are defined by sets of values, beliefs and behaviours that also manifest visually - most notably through their own distinctive colours,' the experts explained in an article for The Conversation.

'Segmenting by generation - boomers, X, Y, Z, Alpha - thus allows us to observe chromatic preferences that are not merely matters of individual taste, but reflections of a collective relationship to time, aspirations and dominant aesthetics.'

It's a classic conversation starter - what's your favourite colour? Now, scientists have revealed what your answer says about you

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably seen the explosion in popularity of lime green - in part thanks to Charli XCX

In their new book, les Dessous de la créativité - gagner en confiance créative et relever les défis (The Secrets of Creativity: Gaining Creative Confidence and Overcoming Challenges), the experts explore how generations have their own 'colour code'.

People born between the end of the second world war and the mid-1960s - often referred to as baby boomers - tend to prefer more traditional palettes.

'[There is] a dominance of neutral and pastel tones,' the researchers explained.

'From the 1970s onwards, these were enriched by earthy hues drawn from nature - greens, browns and rust reds.'

Millennials (born between 1980 and the mid-1990s), saw the rise of an 'iconic colour' - millennial pink.

'More than just a hue, this soft pastel became emblematic in the 2010s - symbolising lightness, optimism and, above all, a challenge to traditional gender codes,' the researchers said.

The first standout colour for Gen Z (1995-2010), meanwhile, was a bold yellow, followed by purple.

However, unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably seen the explosion in popularity of lime green - in part thanks to Charli XCX.

Millennials (born between 1980 and the mid-1990s), saw the rise of an 'iconic colour' - millennial pink. Pictured: Kim Kardashian

What your favourite colour reveals about your age

Baby boomers: Neutral and pastel tones, or greens, browns and rust reds

Millennials: Pink

Gen Z: Yellow, purple, or lime green

Gen Alpha: Saturated, artificial colors

'More recently, green has gained ground,' the researchers said.

'On one hand, it has become a rallying colour for ecological concerns and in political discourse; on the other, it has been reinvented as the provocative, screen-bright "brat green", popularised in 2024 by British singer Charli XCX.'

Finally, Gen Alpha (2010-today) are already showing a preference for certain shades, according to the experts.

'Generation Alpha, still in its early years, moves between two poles: a pull toward natural, comforting tones, and early immersion in the saturated, artificial colours of the digital world,' they added.

The researchers point out that while these generational markers are compelling, they should not be taken as fixed.

'Colors are never static: they circulate, evolve, and reinvent themselves. They return in cycles, much like fashion, and take on new meanings along the way,' they added.

'This fluidity is what gives color such power in communications.

'It anchors a brand in its era, while also leaving space for reinterpretation.'

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The news comes shortly after Max Lucier's famous colour test was shared by TikThought in a series of videos on TikTok.

The videos reveal how people who like green 'usually have a calm and composed personality and firm willpower', while fans of blue are trustworthy individuals who value honesty and dependability in their interactions with peers.

Meanwhile, people who like purple 'have a rich imagination and delicate emotions', and those who like yellow 'often have a childlike innocence and creativity.'

What your favourite COLOUR says about you, according to scuebce