Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Women See Scarlet, Men See Red
ABC Net/Discover News ^ | 8-4-2004 | Jennifer Viegas

Posted on 11/03/2004 3:34:16 PM PST by blam

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-79 next last
To: nopardons
I think for the most part, genetic studies are a huge boondoggle, and exist only to grind political axes. :')
21 posted on 11/03/2004 11:20:54 PM PST by SunkenCiv ("All I have seen teaches me trust the Creator for all I have not seen." -- Emerson)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Foxfire4

But the big question is, How many pairs of black shoes do you have? : )

I bought a new show rack the other week and was just shocked to realize that I had 12 pairs of black shoes, and those were just the seasonal ones I put on the rack. And I don't even consider myself a shoe person.

As far as colors, I'm a purple person and have clothing, earrings, and linens in various shades of purple, from lilac, through the mauves, to an almost black-ish purple. To my son, whose vocabulary is otherwise quite excellent, these items are "kinda pink" "light purple" and "dark purple." That's it. Sad.

I make some of my own earrings, so I know what you mean by the differences between two tubes of beads. I also get the same experience with 2 close shades of embroidery threads; so very close and yet you can see the difference. At least apparently women can.


22 posted on 11/03/2004 11:23:38 PM PST by radiohead
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: garandgal

There's a long history of metaphysical philosophy that delves into that line of questions. That course was the easy A course at my college. Every answer was just as correct as every other.


23 posted on 11/03/2004 11:38:45 PM PST by JerseyHighlander
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Paul C. Jesup

Defragging...hmmm. She was very well endowed.

Let me just say that her 'show' had a surprise ending.


24 posted on 11/03/2004 11:40:09 PM PST by uncleshag (Send the light !)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: radiohead
"To my son, whose vocabulary is otherwise quite excellent, these items are 'kinda pink' 'light purple' and 'dark purple.' That's it. Sad." -- that's the real phenomenon at work here. There are various names for the shades, and it's simply not important to men to know the names.
25 posted on 11/03/2004 11:46:54 PM PST by SunkenCiv ("All I have seen teaches me trust the Creator for all I have not seen." -- Emerson)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: blam
Did you notice that, beyond presenting their hypothesis that "women perceive a greater range of colours than men", the article offered not one shred of evidence nor any citation to any research, that supports that premise?

After more than 30 years of professional technical experience in both optics and electronics, the only differences in color perception that I've ever discovered between men and women, is a nearly pathological need by women to give names to every variation of hue and color they come across.

--Boot Hill

26 posted on 11/03/2004 11:50:25 PM PST by Boot Hill (Candy-gram for Osama bin Mongo, candy-gram for Osama bin Mongo!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Boot Hill; SunkenCiv
There are various names for the shades, and it's simply not important to men to know the names.

the only differences in color perception that I've ever discovered between men and women, is a nearly pathological need by women to give names to every variation of hue and color they come across.

Ok. My personal experience with males leads me to believe this may be true. But why? Does this go back to woman-as-gather, where women had to know which foods were ripe, etc.? Any research as to why women have this need to name minute variations of colors - even those variations that don't make a difference healthwise. For example, you would probably want to specifically name color of food that was dangerous. There are probably fewer dangerous colors, so you name those, leaving all the other colors un-named or in very general terms - blue, green, etc. as opposed to scarlet or puce.

I'm probably overthinking this, but I'm a doctoral candidate. Overthinking is what I do. : ) Plus, based on Boot Hill's comment, it's very interesting that there are apparently no gender differences in perception which would lead to seeing more colors and thus a need for additional names, yet we have a gender difference in the need to name the colors perceived. Fascinating [/Spock voice]

27 posted on 11/04/2004 12:13:47 AM PST by radiohead
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: uncleshag

Your joke fell flat.


28 posted on 11/04/2004 12:30:19 AM PST by Paul C. Jesup
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: Mike Fieschko

Yes, her descriptions were very vivid.


29 posted on 11/04/2004 12:40:04 AM PST by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv
This is very sad. I'll be sure to convert more pictures to B&W just for you. :)

As for why women see such an intricate range of colors, I believe it is because the Creator of colors and women knew we would appreciate the miracle of hues and tones and shades after we ate the beautiful deep wine colored fruit of the forbidden tree and would need to develop a fashion sense.

30 posted on 11/04/2004 1:16:41 AM PST by ValerieUSA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: blam

"In prehistoric times, colour perception could have meant the difference between eating nourishing foods and deadly morsels."


That's why men go out and kill antelopes.

And why women seem to be permanently obsessed with that chocolate stuff.


31 posted on 11/04/2004 1:21:46 AM PST by djf
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: garandgal
Once in a while I annoy my husband with my theory that one person's "blue" could look purple or green to someone else. Since we can't see through another's eyes; and they have always CALLED that color "blue"...well that's what they see as blue.

Conciousness is an amazing thing. Perceptions likes colors have a special name called qualia. The interesting thing is the eyes send electric signals to the cortex similar to a computer code. Our conscious minds interpret that code as a color (specific qualia). I often wonder what qualia must exist that no one has ever experienced because we are biologically incapable.

He accuses me of thinking too much...LOL.

So typical of FReepers ;-)

32 posted on 11/04/2004 1:28:58 AM PST by Moonman62 (Federal Creed: If it moves tax it. If it keeps moving regulate it. If it stops moving subsidize it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: radiohead
"...there are apparently no gender differences in [color] perception...My personal experience with males leads me to believe this may be true. But why?"

Maybe the explanation for the feminine trait of insisting on individual names for every manner of color variation has to do with the differences in the ways our brains are hooked up, especially the in the manner we process communications (both oral and written) and how we quantify and categorize abstractions.

I'm just glad that God made us men so completely free of any similar idiosyncrasies and peculiarities! J

--Boot Hill

33 posted on 11/04/2004 1:44:50 AM PST by Boot Hill (Candy-gram for Osama bin Mongo, candy-gram for Osama bin Mongo!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Moonman62

I could have sworn I have read that there are rare people who can see a slightly broader spectrum of colours than most.

And then there are those fascinating people who hear colours, smell sounds, and see scents. There's a name for them that I can't spell LOL.


34 posted on 11/04/2004 2:45:21 AM PST by Eepsy (Today's Read-Aloud: Doctor Who and the Talons of Weng Chiang Junior Target)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: blam

As a man I can tell the difference between shades of colors, I just don't care. If someone held up two differnt shades of red I could tell the differnce but would probably just say they are both red.


35 posted on 11/04/2004 5:26:03 AM PST by escapefromboston (manny ortez: MVP)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv
This is my favorite shade of red...


36 posted on 11/04/2004 5:31:16 AM PST by 2Jedismom (God Bless American, President Bush and Dr. Tom Coburn! FMM!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Foxfire4

Xena's Guy also fails to appreciate the fine distinction between kelly, hunter, and olive, especially when displayed in teensy rocaille glory. I used to think he was doing it on purpose.


37 posted on 11/04/2004 8:34:45 AM PST by Xenalyte (Anything is possible when you don't understand how anything happens.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Xenalyte; Moose4

Well, after years of helping me sell the stuff, Moose4 can now distinguish between "green that looks good with blue", "green that looks good with brown", and "green that looks good with yellow". (As well as the occasional instance of "what were you THINKING??" green, but that's a whole 'nother problem.) He still thinks my all-time favorite shade of sage green is actually blue, but we're working on that. :-)

Hm, does this mean I can no longer tell people I'm the only conservative beader in existence?


38 posted on 11/04/2004 9:19:42 AM PST by Foxfire4 (Schadenfreude is bliss)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: radiohead
But the big question is, How many pairs of black shoes do you have? : )

::counts:: Er, two. :-) I'm not much of a clothes person, and have 1 pair of black pumps and 1 pair of fancy black heels. But I'm still in mourning for the demise of my black velvet flats with the little gold elephants on the heels. Sigh.

My problem is that I don't have a favorite color; I like more or less everything. In combinations. It creates massive customer confusion when I'm selling the aforementioned beadwork...I can pick out what looks best on them, but I can't pick out a personal favorite to save my life. :-) My husband's just lucky I don't cross-stitch any more...if he had to put up with the embroidery floss invasion on top of my biannual bead binges, I think he'd run screaming for the hills.

39 posted on 11/04/2004 9:26:29 AM PST by Foxfire4 (Schadenfreude is bliss)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Foxfire4; Xenalyte

It's blue, not green. Deal with it.

}:-)4


40 posted on 11/04/2004 9:28:09 AM PST by Moose4 (Days of gloating are like potato chips: I can't have just one.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-79 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson