Gender & Color vs. Rods & Cones

| 05 March 2009

Are genders really different when it comes to color? Background research and discussions with friends have brought up obvious points that seem overly generalized for our polymorphous generation, but here are some:

1. Women are more inclined to devote thought and resources toward comfort and beauty in their homes.
2. Women often make the final choices for color and décor in their homes.
3. Many women are stylists for their own clothing and make-up.
4. Once a structure or built element is complete, men lose interest. (This includes almost every carpenter/contractor I’ve ever known!)
5. Men are more likely to do without comfort and beauty.

One study confirms that men overwhelmingly choose their three favorite colors: blue, green and black. The researcher assigned qualities like “cooler” and “more control” to describe these choices. Pink was anathema, as was purple. Another study actually used a specific shade – Baker-Miller Pink – to tranquilize aggression and potential violence. This photo biological research used visual stimuli to alter behavior in many applications, the most successful being a jail’s 8'x10' holding cell.

Then I stumbled onto a fascinating 2006 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story by Mark Roth about a color vision researcher at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Jay Neitz, with his wife Maureen, found a genetic basis for gender abilities when it comes to color. “Only women have the potential for super color vision.” Both men and women normally have three standard blue, green, and red color-detecting cones in their retina that pick up one hundred different colors. This information is then processed by the brain, after which “an average person can distinguish about one million hues.”

According to Dr. Jay and Maureen Neitz, the X chromosome carries pigments in red and green cones. Having two X chromosomes makes it possible to activate two types of red cones and sometimes two distinct green cones. The extras create vision with four retina cones instead of three and expand color range differentiation to 100 million hues from the original one hundred. They conclude that 2–3% of women worldwide have this super color vision. Very interesting!

The research then looked at men (XY) and color deficiency, finding 8% with a standard blue cone and two red or two green cones instead of the normal one of each. Called color blindness, this condition makes it impossible to tell red from green. You definitely don’t want this person buying meat for dinner!

During a color consultation, I always try to include a male partner if they’re interested and/or willing to join us. It’s important that all household members have a say about color choices to avoid a situation where someone can’t stand living with certain colors. Remember that both genders can normally process for a million hues. That should cover most possible home solutions. If the woman happens to be a true tetrachromat with super color vision, she should use that ability for nuances that achieve beauty and harmony for all.

Elizabeth Johnson is a visual artist who offers color consulting services for the interior and exterior, new construction or remodel of your home.