How Humans Process Color

We see colors all around us and it influences everything from art to clothes to the paint on our walls. But most of us don't know exactly how it is we perceive these colors. Color processing begins with the human eye. We perceive color when different wave lengths of white lights are selectively interfered with by matter ( absorbed, reflected, refracted, scattered, or diffracted) on their way to the eye, or when non- white distribution of light is emitted. The eye is composed of nerves and fibers called rods and cones that carry information to the brain. These rods and cones are found in the retina and are used for peripheral vision and color recognition. The over 6 million cones in our retina are sensitive to a wide range of brightness, but don't work well in low light. Our rods are used in dim light as they only perceive black and white. Cats have 25 rods for each cone while humans have 4 rods for each cone allowing cats to see much better at night than humans. Rods account for our peripheral night vision but allow us to see well while looking straight ahead. There are three types of cones in the human eye and each is responsible for the perception of specific color. These red, blue, and green cones provide the eyes color sensitivity. Cones aren't as sensitive to light as rods, however, cones are responsible for all of our high resolution vision.

  Also located in the retina are a type of neuron called ganglion that receive signals via various intermediate cells from the rods and cones and then transmitted to the brain. Once light enters the eye, it is perceived and processed in several areas of the brain. The area that processes visual information is located near the area that processes language, which is called Wernicke's area. Given this close connection, what happens when color and language need to be processed at the same time ?
Try this, say the color of the words out loud.



RED BLUE YELLOW GREEN
You probably read the names of the color rather than naming the color of the words.(or at least, started to)
Some people, however, don't perceive color in this way, this is known as color blindness. Color blindness is a physical condition within the lens of the eye that causes people to misinterpret certain colors. Red/Green is the most common form of color blindness. Color blindness is more common in men. Men have an XY chromosome pair, while women have an XX chromosome. Since the X chromosome is the carrier for color vision, men are more likely to be color blind.
No matter how it's perceived, colors play a huge role in our lives and can have a dramatic effect on our psychology. Mood, emotions, physical feelings, and behavior can all be affected by color, but thats another post. Now that you know how your eyes and brain perceive color it's time to find that perfect color for your home. Call Essex County Painting and I'll help bring your visions to reality. 
By Jeff Hartford