Color perception is a complex process that allows us to see the vibrant and diverse colors that make up the world around us. However, there are some key questions around this topic. Do all people see and experience color in the same way? Or are there differences that mean some people actually perceive color differently from others?
Understanding differences in color perception is important. It can impact how we design interfaces, create art, choose colors for things like marketing materials, and more. Subtle differences in how people see color can shape experiences and perceptions in terms of aesthetics, accessibility, color-coding systems, and beyond.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the key factors that influence color perception and look at evidence around the question of whether some people do indeed see colors differently.
What affects our perception of color?
The way we each see color is dependent on a range of factors, both biological and environmental. Some of the key influences include:
Hardware – Our eyes and brain
Our perception of color begins with the hardware that enables vision – our eyes and brain. The retina of the eye contains photoreceptor cells called cones. There are three types of cones that respond to different wavelengths of light and enable us to see different colors.
Information from the cones is sent to the brain where it is processed to produce the colors that we perceive consciously. So differences in the eye itself as well as in brain processing can impact color vision.
Age
As we age, the eye’s lens and cornea tend to yellow, meaning less blue light reaches the retina. The number of cones also diminishes with age. These age-related changes can affect color perception, especially in terms of distinguishing between blue/purple hues.
Lighting
The lighting conditions where we view a color have a major influence on how we perceive it. The same color will look different under fluorescent vs incandescent lighting. Direct sunlight vs shade alters color appearance too. Even time of day impacts perceived color, since the color of natural daylight shifts throughout the day.
Background colors
The colors surrounding an object impacts how we see its color. This is called simultaneous contrast. A gray square on a black background will look lighter than when surrounded by white. The effect of background colors on perception must be considered in color design.
Optical illusions
Certain patterns and effects can create optical color illusions that trick our eyes. So just because we think we see a certain color does not mean that is the actual color of the object. Optical illusions reveal the subjectivity of color vision.
Mental state and mood
Our emotions and mental outlook can subtly affect color perception. Research suggests that people view neutral colors as more positively or negatively charged depending on their mood. We are also more likely to notice color varieties when in a comfortable emotional state.
Culture and language
The culture we are part of shapes color perception in terms of meanings and associations with certain colors. Having descriptive words for color also influences how we categorize the color spectrum. Not all languages have words for every color, so speakers of that language may group what we see as distinct colors together more.
Gender
Some research indicates there may be small differences in how females vs males perceive color on average. Many studies show no significant gender differences though. More research is still needed on this complex topic.
Do genetic differences affect color vision?
Genetics can play a major role in determining individual differences in color perception. Here are some of the key genetic factors that shape our sense of color:
Cone photopigments
The cones in our eyes contain photopigments that tune them to be sensitive to specific wavelengths of light. There are three types of cones, each with a different photopigment. The genes for these photopigments are found on the X chromosome. Changes in the genes can shift the wavelength sensitivity of cones.
Tetrachromacy
Most people have three functioning types of cones, so they are trichromats. Some females however can have four cone types, giving them an extra dimension of color vision known as tetrachromacy. This is caused by an extra cone photopigment gene on one X chromosome. Prevalence estimates for tetrachromacy range from 1 to 5% of women.
Color blindness
Color vision deficiency or blindness is usually an inherited condition passed on through sex-linked genes. Red-green color blindness where certain hues are hard to distinguish is the most common form, affecting around 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women globally. Complete color blindness (monochromacy) is very rare.
Neural factors
Even people with the same external hardware of eyes can show differences in color perception stemming from the neural processing of visual signals. The exact mechanisms for these individual variations are not fully understood yet but seem to be genetically-influenced.
Do all languages categorize color the same way?
Unlike other senses like hearing, there are no fixed frequency bands that define visible color. Instead, color categorization is something learned through language. The way different languages divide up the color spectrum reveals key insights around relative differences in color vision.
Research into color terms used across languages finds:
- There are some universal focal colors named in all languages, like black, white, red, green, yellow and blue.
- As languages develop more color terms, they generally do so in a predictable sequence, like adding brown/orange then pink, purple, gray and so on.
- The most basic color vocabularies only contain words distinguishing light/dark or warm/cool. New color terms emerge from these fundamental semantic dimensions.
- The more color terms a language has, the quicker speakers can distinguish between similar shades, suggesting language guides perception.
So while the visual hardware of our eyes limits color perception to some extent, the concepts and vocabularies of our languages also shape how we categorize and talk about color diversity. As anyone who has shopped for a paint color knows, there are millions of subtle shade variations, more than any language could hope to label exhaustively.
Do women and men see color differently?
Gender differences in color vision have long been debated, with a popular notion being that women are better at discerning subtle shade variations. But what does the science say?
Some research lends support to slight gender variations:
- One study found women on average could discriminate around 10 million more colors than men.
- Females may have higher cone density in the fovea region.
- Women scored better at identifying faded colors in several experiments.
- When equally trained, women excel at hue discrimination compared to men.
However, gender differences are modest and inconsistent:
- Meta-analysis shows a small female superiority for color perception tests.
- Much research shows no significant gender difference in color vision abilities.
- Cultural stereotypes and socialization likely amplify assumed differences.
So while women may outperform men at certain color vision tasks on average, especially with training, gender does not dictate major differences in color perception across the board. There is far more variation between individuals overall.
Do age-related changes affect color vision?
As people age, normal age-related declines in vision can alter color perception in some predictable ways:
- The lens of the eye gradually yellows, filtering out some blue light.
- Pupil size decreases, reducing light reaching the retina.
- The cornea becomes less transparent.
- Cone density in the fovea centralis reduces.
- The elderly have more difficulty distinguishing blues/purples.
- Deterioration in color discrimination accelerates after age 65.
- Cataracts are known to hinder blue and green perception.
So while an elderly person’s general hardware for color vision remains intact, normal changes in the optics of the eye and processing of color information do commonly impact color perception.
Do Tetrachromats see “extra” colors?
Tetrachromacy is a rare condition where certain females possess four different cone photopigment genes, giving them a potential extra dimension of color vision compared to trichromats. But does this additional hardware allow tetrachromats to see completely different “extra” colors that are invisible to the rest of us?
Based on current evidence:
- Only a few tetrachromats can fully utilize their four cone types.
- Most can’t readily describe or identify the extra colors they may perceive.
- They score better on hue discrimination tasks with similar colors.
- Tetrachromats don’t report seeing colors radically different from normal vision.
- At most, they may see extra shades between existing colors.
So full tetrachromatic color vision with expanded color experiences does not emerge easily. But tetrachromats may still have enhanced ability to differentiate between some colors and see extra gradations. Their brains have to learn to make use of the extra cone signals.
Do color blind people see in black and white?
Color blindness does affect how certain hues are perceived, but the idea of a color blind person seeing the world in black and white is a myth. In fact:
- Complete monochromacy is extremely rare – most color blind people are anomalous trichromats.
- They can still see colors, but have difficulty differentiating between some hues.
- Red-green color blindness is most common, affecting reds, greens, browns and oranges.
- Reds may appear more green or gray to someone with protanomaly.
- Greens look more red/brown to someone with deuteranomaly.
- Full black and white vision is very unlikely in color blindness.
So color blind does not equal colorless vision. Color blindness makes it hard to distinguish between similar hues in the affected color range. For instance, ripe bananas and leaves would look similar to someone with red-green color blindness. But they can still perceive colors beyond shades of gray.
Conclusion
Do some people see color differently? Differences in color vision definitely exist between certain individuals and groups – the question is just how significant these differences are.
Genetic factors like cone photopigments, tetrachromacy and color blindness do seem to alter color perception in some individuals. Age, gender and language also have subtle influences on how we categorize and distinguish between colors.
However, color perception is complex process that has both nature and nurture influences. There is large variation between individuals too. So while we can identify trends, exceptions are also common. Overall, there are no absolute qualitative differences whereby people live in radically different color worlds. But some people certainly do have enhanced or shifted color experiences relative to others.
The next time you look at a colorful scene, consider that someone else gazing at the same view may not be seeing the exact same vivid picture that you are. While we all share the same broad experience of color, what each of us actually perceives is the result of many factors unique to our eyes, brain, genes, language and cognition. Our individual color worlds may differ in little ways, but together they fuse into the same magnificent rainbow.
