Mind-reading scientists know what color you’re seeing

In a new paper, a team of scientists studying color perception found that they could predict what color a study participant was looking at just based on patterns of brain activity.

Different cultures have different ways of describing colors, but generally, many cultures have more words to describe warm hues (like yellow and orange) than cool hues (like blue and green).

The researchers were interested in finding out how color perception related to how humans describe color.

So they outfitted study participants with sensors that detect tiny magnetic fields that accompany brain activity.

Participants’ brains produced unique patterns when looking at each color.

The team also found that brain patterns varied more when participants were looking at warm hues versus cold hues.

This finding suggests that the reason why humans have more words for warm hues is rooted in how the brain perceives colors rather than culture or language.