LIFESTYLE

1 min read

How Much Color Can You See?

July 1, 2015

Bad news, ladies: Your boyfriend isn’t wrong. That dress you swear is “magenta” and he equally insists is “red”? It really is red - to him, at least. Science is on his side. Some evidence suggests that color perception is divided along gender lines, a revelation that may not surprise straight couples who have ever had to go through color swatches together. Where men see “red”, women might see “coral”, “salmon” or “maraschino”. Men really do see color differently. They are more likely to be color blind than women (8 percent of men are colorblind versus 0.5 percent of women*). But colorblindness aside, studies have found that women are slightly better at discriminating among subtle gradations in the middle of the color spectrum. Some scientists attribute this to the hunter-gatherer hypothesis, which suggests that evolution has hard-wired men’s brains to see things one way, and women’s another. While men show “significantly greater sensitivity for fine detail and for rapidly moving stimuli,” which would have served them well in their days as hunters, women have become better adapted to recognizing close-at-hand, static objects - like the “claret” wild berries that are good for dinner, versus those “russet” ones that will poison us. But even if women generally perceive more colors than men, is that true for you? Can you see celadon, cyan and cinnabar, or are your powers of color perception not quite up to par? Take the test, see what you score, and then pit your friends against each other to see who really sees the world most colorfully. Should you score better than your boyfriend, don't argue the next time he calls something “yellow” that is “saffron”, silently celebrate knowing that you see the world in more shades than he does.  

*The most common form of color vision deficiency is recessive and encoded on the X sex chromosome. Because women have two X chromosomes, a woman will only be colorblind if she inherits two of these recessive genes - otherwise the dominant, normal vision gene takes over.

Leave a comment

About text formats

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
More articles
139 articles
Afterglow
LIFESTYLE

Afterglow: Fact or Fiction?

Your next roll in the hay might bring your skin a little afternoon delight. If you’re looking to instantly improve your complexion, you may not have to look farther than between the sheets. As it turns out, afterglow is a real thing, since sex really can give you a brighter complexion. So whether
Meghan Rapinoe interview at home with FOREO
LIFESTYLE

At Home With Megan Rapinoe

Socer superstar Megan Rapinoe shares her plans, her skincare routine and her advice with us. We had the honor to spend some time with an extraordinary individual - the one and only Megan Rapinoe. Her mindset and her confidence are truly inspiring. How did she become so confident? What advice does s
Colorful FOREO skincare devices in a festive setting
LIFESTYLE

How FOREO Won 30 Million Hearts?

10 years, 80 countries and 3 000 people — discover how FOREO captured 30 million hearts. As we celebrate our 10th birthday, we want to share the things we’re proud of. But more importantly, we want to shed light on what’s yet to come. The past Fueled by its innovative Swedish DNA, FOREO is th
12-09-15-entertaining-tessa-neustadt-6.jpg
LIFESTYLE

How To Avoid The Holiday Family Feud

A conversation cheat-sheet to help you stay cool, calm, and collected. If you’re reading this, congratulations, you survived Thanksgiving! You’ve already made it this far through the year, especially through all those uncomfortable questions (“How come you’re still single?” or “You didn