The colors you see may feel unique to you, but new research shows our brains process them in strikingly similar ways, revealing a shared neural code behind how we perceive the world’s shades.
A new study has found that human brains respond to colors in remarkably similar ways, even though individuals may perceive shades differently. Published in JNeurosci, the research used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to analyze brain activity when participants viewed colored screens at varying brightness levels.
The results showed distinct patterns of activity in visual processing areas, and these patterns were consistent across individuals. By comparing two groups, the researchers demonstrated that one person’s brain responses could be used to predict what colors another person was viewing.
“We can’t say that one person’s red looks the same as another person’s red,” said Michael Bannert, a neuroscientist at the University of Tübingen. “But to see that some sensory aspects of a subjective experience are conserved across people’s brains is new.”
The findings suggest that color perception may be shaped by shared neural mechanisms, providing new insight into how the brain interprets the visual world.
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