Tell me why : Part 3 | Engage Learning Magazine

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Tell Me Why?
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The colours you see are different from mine. But
Why?
How we perceive colour Lets begin with first
understanding how we perceive colours. Later lets
understand what in this process leads us to
seeing colours differently. When you look at an
object, the light-sensitive retina at the back of
the eye captures the wavelengths reflected off 
the object. The wavelengths determine the colours
that we see.  The light sensitive retina is
comprised of tiny cells known as cones. Cones are
a type of photoreceptor cells. Most humans have
3 types of photoreceptors, these help us to
perceive red, green and blue wavelengths. The
light receptors then transmit this information to
the brain, which produces the sensation of colour.
Factors Impacting Colour Perception Light is
the most important factor perception of colour
is impacted based under the type of light we view
it in. Colours are seen differently under
sunlight and incandescent light respectively.
The colours in the surroundings of the subject
we focus also impact how we see the colours of
the subject. For example, the grey boxes within
the boxes appear to be of the same colour,
however when viewed independently, we can see
their distinctive colours. Another interesting
factor that largely impacts colour perception is
our mood, yes our mood! It definitely does not
change the colours that we see but definitely
impacts the perception of the hue of the colour.
A study showed that sadness impairs  our ability
to accurately identify colours on the blue yellow
spectrum. Furthermore, the neurotransmitter
dopamine, which is the happy, feel-good
hormone, is also said to be linked with colour
perception on the blue-yellow axis. We will later
in this blog have  a more detailed discussion on
the implications of mood on perception of colours
and vice versa.
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Are we all seeing the same colours? As mentioned
earlier, we all have three photoreceptors,
however, colourblind individuals are missing one
or more of these receptors.  Furthermore, there
is another group of people- tetrachromats, who
have a fourth receptor. The additional receptor
enables them to see 9 million more colour than
humans in general.  This condition is only found
among 1 in 225 females. It is a well-
established fact that the aforementioned groups
perceive colour distinctively. However, more
contemporary research has also indicated that it
is possible that one persons red can be another
persons blue. An experiment was conducted on
monkeys. Monkeys have only two colour sensitive
cones. This enables them to only perceive colours
on the blue and green axis. On being infected by
a virus, they were conferred with blue, green and
red cones. Soon after, they were able to make
sense of the new information received. This was
surprising because their brains were not wired to
respond to signals from red cones.
The monkeys learned to respond to messages from
the red cones in place of  green cones. They also
perceived a new colour however the colour being
unknown. This brought researchers to the
conclusion that there are no predetermined
preceptors ascribed each wavelength. This
means neurons are not configured to respond to
colours in a default manner. This therefore makes
the perception of colours private and
personal. Psychology suggests that colour
impacts emotions. One might think that since we
perceive colour differently the same colour may
have a different impact on us. However, it is not
the perception of colours that impact universal
emotional response. The light-sensitive retina
that captures wavelengths and sends the brain
signals is responsible for the impact on our
emotions.
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