Although our eyes have three cone types, the different wavelengths of light detected by the cones overlap. Our brain associates the wavelength with a color. When a color is reflected from an object, the light wavelength hits the eyes and cones send signals to the visual cortex of the brain for processing. The red cones are most sensitive to red wavelengths, blue cones to blue wavelengths, and green cones to green wavelengths. Our eyes have three types of cones: blue, green, and red. Cones detect a range of color light wavelengths. Rods are more sensitive to light than cones and allow us to see in dim light. Our eyes are equipped with special photoreceptors called rods and cones. For example, red has wavelengths ranging from 620-750 nm, yellow from 570-590 nm, and blue from 450-495 nm.

Different colors along the visible light spectrum have different wavelengths. Visible color wavelengths range from about 380 nanometers (nm) to about 750 nanometers. The colors we see are determined by the wavelength of light that is reflected. Our eyes are important for detecting and responding to light, but it is the brain's visual center in the occipital lobes that processes visual information and assigns color. We don't actually see colors with our eyes. Oleksiy Maksymenko/All Canada Photos/Getty Images These and similar factors must be considered when investigating the influence of colors on human emotions and behavior.Ĭolor Vision. This is because in those cultures, white is associated with grief and death.

In a situation where a woman is wearing a white wedding dress, is she happy because she is influenced by the color white or because she is getting married? To someone from a different culture, wearing white may signify sadness. In some cultures, for example, white is associated with happiness and purity. Several factors influence color perception, which makes it difficult to determine if color alone impacts our emotions and actions.įactors that influence color perception include age, gender, and culture. Color perception is very subjective, as different people have different ideas about and responses to colors. A major difficulty that arises when investigating this topic is determining how to actually measure the effects of color. Color psychology is a relatively new area of study that faces several challenges.

Color moods meanings chart