925th stamp blog: Surrounded by idiots
The international bestseller 'Surrounded by Idiots', written by Swedish behavioral expert Thomas Erikson and first published in 2014, is a popular self-help book that has sold millions of copies worldwide (approximately 11 million). It became an international bestseller in 2019, partly thanks to the English translation and the rise of popular psychology on social media. Using four behavioral types – red, yellow, green, and blue – the behavior of others and yourself is explained so that you learn to understand better. Which color suits you best?
Surrounded by idiots
In the book, you receive an accessible introduction to four behavioral styles, subdivided into colors: red, yellow, green, and blue . Using relatable examples, you learn not only which color best characterizes you, but also how to recognize the other colors and how to deal with them more effectively. The book does not aim to pigeonhole people, but rather to show how different communication and behavior can be, and how a greater understanding of this can lead to less frustration in daily life. As Erikson himself writes: “No one is one color. But most people have a dominant shade that determines how they behave and communicate.”
[One_half]
[/ One_half] [one_half_last]
[/ One_half_last]
The book uses the DISC model to categorize behavior into four colors, so that you learn to understand those “idiots” (and yourself) better:
- Red (Dominant): Direct, driven, and results-oriented. Can come across as pushy.
- Yellow (Influential): Enthusiastic, creative, and talkative. Sometimes a bit chaotic.
- Green (Stable): Helpful, patient, and averse to change. The ideal team player.
- Blue (Conscientious): Analytical, precise, and critical. Likes facts and rules.
Colors
Red
Red people are decisive, ambitious, and extroverted. They are quick to take the lead and love control. Erikson describes them as people who “know what they want, and are not afraid to say it.” Red is the color of action: if something needs to happen, it happens. At the same time, they have little patience with people who are slow or do not provide any benefit. “For a red person, life is a race, and they hate coming in second.”
Yellow
Yellow people are extroverted, social, and optimistic. They bring energy to any room, love attention, and find it important to be liked. Sometimes they are chaotic or self-centered because they jump quickly from one idea to another. As Erikson writes: “A yellow person starts three stories at once, forgets where he left off, but everyone still enjoys listening.” Their charm makes people enjoy being around them.
Green
Green people are calm, loyal, and caring. They listen well, avoid conflict, and often put others before themselves. They are introverted and do not like to be in the spotlight, but their words are well thought out: “Green people don’t say much, but when they do say something, it is often exactly what is needed.” Their reliability makes them valuable to any team, even though they can sometimes seem indecisive.
Blue
Blue people are analytical, precise, and structured. They follow rules closely, make decisions based on facts, and love clarity: “A blue person wants to know what, why, when, and how – and preferably in that order.” They can be perfectionistic and sometimes struggle with flexibility, but their eye for detail makes them reliable and meticulous.
Schematic
Surrounded by Idiots is logically structured. Erikson begins with an explanation of the origin of the color model, based on the DISC theory of psychologist William Moulton Marston, and then shows how the four behavioral styles manifest in daily life. Each chapter on a color contains concrete examples, recognizable situations, and descriptions of typical word choices, body language, and communication style. In the final chapters, he explains how the colors interact with each other and where misunderstandings often arise. In this way, you learn how to communicate better with someone who thinks or reacts differently than you do.
Surrounded by Idiots is an accessible, sometimes lighthearted book that helps to better understand behavioral patterns, both in yourself and in others. It is not a scientific handbook, but rather a practical guide full of relatable examples. The book is especially recommended for people interested in personal development, communication, and collaboration. It can help you better understand conflicts, communicate more effectively, and look at others with more empathy. As Erikson concludes: “Once you start to see the colors, you can’t unsee them.”
Epilogue
Thank you for reading this blog. Broadly speaking, everyone falls into these four colors: red, yellow, green, or blue. This applies, for example, if you work in an office and have to collaborate and therefore often communicate with colleagues; members of a sports club, because to perform as a team you also need to communicate; politicians in a cabinet; members of a stamp collecting club; readers of the stamp blog; and readers who leave a positive or negative comment. There are plenty of examples of reactions to my blogs over the past few years; see, for example, my 900th and 750th blogs:
https://www.postzegelblog.nl/2026/02/17/900e-postzegelblog-spreekwoorden-en-gezegden/
https://www.postzegelblog.nl/2025/06/10/750e-postzegelblog-evaluatie/
Do you recognize the colors of the people who commented on the blogs above?
Have you ever gotten into an argument because someone misunderstood you? Are you sometimes amazed by the total inability of others to see your point? Or are you fed up with not being listened to? You are not alone. After a disastrous encounter with a successful entrepreneur who was convinced he was 'surrounded by idiots', communication expert Thomas Erikson decided to research human functioning to answer the question of why we often struggle to communicate or collaborate with one another. This resulted in the worldwide bestseller *Surrounded by Idiots*, in which you learn to better understand the behavior of others and yourself through the four behavioral types – red, yellow, green, and blue. In this fully revised and expanded edition, the author has incorporated questions and feedback from readers worldwide, resulting in a thicker and more complete book than ever. And with a little luck, you might eventually conclude that you are not the idiot yourself.
Source: Boekenkrant, HarperCollins
<strong> More info: </strong>
Fully revised and expanded edition of the bestseller 'Surrounded by Idiots': more text, more illustrations, more examples, and more idiocy. Available in every bookstore: softcover version and hardcover version printed entirely in color. Surrounded by Idiots with reading excerpt, 18 pages:
https://www.harpercollins.nl/9789402718881/omringd-door-idioten/
Interview with Erikson (UK, 24 January 2025):
All 925 and more blogs online: https://www.postzegelblog.nl/author/randy-koo/
Very interesting blog.
What color are you?
I got to take a test like that for work, and it showed that I am red/blue.
Interesting article, the complexity of man captured in 4 colors.