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Why People Perceive Colours Differently
In this blog post, we - a masterbatch manufacturer and colour specialist - explore the background to different colour perceptions.
Taste is often subjective – and the same applies to colours when it comes to visual perception. In fact, people can perceive the same shade differently. But why is that? Besides biological factors, environment, language, and personal experiences play a crucial role. In this blog post, we explore the fascinating background of colour perception.
How Colours Are Created in Our Minds
Light itself has no colour – our brain processes it into vivid impressions. Visible light is only a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that our eyes can detect.
- Light waves vary in frequency and wavelength. The shorter the wavelength, the bluer the light appears; longer wavelengths appear more reddish.
- Our retina contains specialised sensory cells called cones, which are responsible for colour perception and respond to different wavelengths.
- Humans have three types of cones:
- S-cones respond particularly to short-wavelength blue-violet light.
- M-cones specialise in medium wavelengths, such as green.
- L-cones detect longer-wavelength yellow tones.
Why Do We Need Different Cones?
The combination of different cones allows us to perceive a broad range of colours. If a surface reflects only short-wavelength light, it appears blue to our brain. When a surface reflects multiple wavelengths, mixed colours like yellow, purple, orange, or violet emerge. When all three cone types are stimulated simultaneously, our brain perceives the colour white. This is how our brain creates a colourful image of the world from light.
Colour Blindness – When the Eye Cannot Differentiate Colours
Not everyone sees colours the same way. Approximately eight per cent of men in Europe have red-green colour blindness, while women are rarely affected.
Why Does Colour Blindness Occur?
- People with red-green colour blindness perceive certain colours differently. A study found that they identified khaki tones as either red or green, rather than neutral.
- The cause lies in missing or altered photopigments, which prevent proper wavelength comparison and colour differentiation.
Genetic Background
- The genes for M- and L-cones are located on the X-chromosome, which is why men are more often affected.
- Women have two X-chromosomes and can usually compensate for defects.
- Blue-yellow colour blindness is rarer because the gene for S-cones is on chromosome 7, which both men and women possess equally.
A colour vision deficiency does not necessarily mean poorer colour differentiation. Some individuals can distinguish nuances better than those with normal vision – but only within their own colour spectrum. Our eyes are fascinating, and even a colour perception disorder demonstrates how unique our vision is!
Genetically Advantaged
Some women carry different versions of the photopigments on their X-chromosomes, potentially giving them four different cone types – making them tetrachromats, or "super-seers."
This additional information may allow them to differentiate finer colour nuances that others perceive as identical. Even individuals with "normal" colour vision have varying amounts of M- and L-cones. Some have up to 16 times more L-cones than others.
Specialised retinal cells calculate colour ratios and correct possible distortions, ensuring largely consistent colour perception despite individual differences. Nevertheless, this explains why some people perceive slight variations in colour more clearly than others.
The Brain’s Tricks – How We Keep Colours Stable
- Our brain adjusts for changes in light to ensure objects retain their colour regardless of illumination.
- Grass always appears green, whether under midday sunlight or reddish evening light.
- Digital cameras use an automatic white balance – our brain does something very similar!
Environment, Psychology, and Language – Everything Plays a Role
There are additional factors influencing how we perceive colours:
- A Norwegian study suggests that light conditions in early childhood may affect colour differentiation.
- Language influences colour perception: In some languages, there is no separate word for “blue” and “green.” Researchers at the Université de Lyon suspect that environmental conditions – such as UV radiation or proximity to large bodies of water – have shaped linguistic development.
- Psychological factors matter too: A study from the University of Rochester found that after watching a sad film, people categorised colours less accurately than after watching a neutral or happy video.
Researchers suspect that dopamine plays a role: This neurotransmitter affects visual processing, and individuals with depression often perceive contrasts less distinctly, impacting their colour perception.
Colours Are Created in the Brain: Our colour perception is a fascinating blend of biology, environment, and personal experience. It can change over time and is unique to each individual.
As a masterbatch manufacturer, we understand the complexity of colour. That’s why we rely not only on our professional colourists, colour systems (such as Pantone, RAL, etc.), and digital colour measuring devices – but also on you. Together, we find a common language for your ideal shade and look forward to the next exchange with you!
Contact our Customer Service Team via or +49 9571 789-0.
Sources:
Bosten, J. M.: Do you see what I see? Diversity in human color perception. Annual Review of Vision Science 8, 2022 Brainard, D. H., Hurlbert, A. C.: Colour vision: Understanding #TheDress. Current Biology 25, 2015
Gegenfurtner, K. R. et al.: The many colours of ›the dress‹. Current Biology 25, 2015
Josserand, M. et al.: Environment and culture shape both the colour lexicon and the genetics of colour perception. Scientific Reports 11, 2021
Tregillus, K. E. M. et al.: Color compensation in anomalous trichromats assessed with fMRI. Current Biology 31, 202
Spektrum der Wissenschaft (2023). Spektrum Kompakt 35/2023 – Farben: Wahrnehmung und Einfluss. Spektrum der Wissenschaft Verlag, Link (30.05.2025)
Heinemann, P. (2015). Stimmung lässt Menschen Farben anders wahrnehmen. WELT, Link (30.05.2025)