- Colour doesn’t exist – at least not in the literal sense
- Instead it exists in our minds, or in the way that people interpret light
- Until we have a way to describe something, we may not see its there
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been curious about how our minds work. Actually I’m mostly curious about how my own mind works. I’m only curious about your mind after I’m finished with mine 🙂
Our Brains Bring Colour To The World
A YouTube clip by Smarter Every Day that suggests the world exists in shades of grey, with no colour in it at all. Our brains colour the world in on our behalf, for all kinds of really good survival reasons. There is an excellent exercise in the video that brilliantly illustrates that your brain adds colour. Defs worth a watch. It will blow your mind (well it did mine).
To be honest, practically, it doesn’t matter. Whether the world has colour or our brains colour it in once the light signals arrive through our eyes, is not going to change how we make it through our day. I don’t think you can suddenly separate or reprogramme your mind to switch your colouring function on and off at will (although it’d be an awesome party trick).
What it did remind me about, was that what we see isn’t always what is real. There are so many filters that we have in place when we engage and interact with the world around us, that frankly, it’s pretty arrogant to think that you have it all right. Staying flexible and open to new ideas, new suggestions and new ways of looking at the world are critical for our success. Holding onto a ‘truth’ you have, or a process you use, or an idea you’ve had can be futile in a world that’s dramatically shifting around us every day.
It’s why I think play is so critical in our worlds (not just children, adults too) because it builds our creative muscle and increases the use of our imagination, which can only ensure we remain fluid and flexible.
Here’s a great 6 min video explaining that colour doesn’t exist and how we see colour. A great watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQczp0wtZQQ
