Why can't men distinguish as many colors as women?

Have you ever observed a couple arguing about colors? You may not have debated with your better half yourself whether a particular shade was red, crimson or deep orange? For this story that women can distinguish more colors than men is neither pure freshness nor an invention to irritate boys, but probably an evolutionary feature.

Scientists at Brooklyn College in New York came to this conclusion during an experiment in which men and women should observe flashes of light and describe what colors they could see. None of the participants were colorblind (a condition much more common among them than among them) or had vision problems.

They and they

The results showed that men's and women's brains process colors differently, showing that they have more difficulty distinguishing subtle differences between shades of green, yellow, and blue. So the grass will look greener for women and more yellowish for men, while orange will look redder for them than for them.

According to the researchers, these discrepancies in perception cannot be explained by structural differences in the eyes, leading them to speculate that it is probably testosterone - a much more abundant hormone in men than in women - that affects how colors are processed. through the brain.

On the other hand, while boys see fewer colors than girls, researchers have found that they find it easier to observe small details and track fast moving objects. These findings support the “hunter-gatherer” hypothesis, based on the idea that the sexes developed different abilities according to the roles played in prehistory.

Chromosome Advantage

In addition, this female skill seems to be related to the X chromosome, which would be responsible for producing opsins, photoreceptor proteins that help us detect color. By having two X chromosomes, women would have an advantage over men, who, having the XY pair, have only one such chromosome.

While knowing how to distinguish between different shades and being able to perceive fast movements has helped our ancestors survive in the past, these skills seem to be useful today as boys watch football games on TV or make men and women fight over each other. This or that color.

* Posted on 29/04/2013