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IN LIVING COLOUR: STUDYING THE EVOLUTION
OF HUMAN COLOUR PREFERENCES
Interdisciplinary Colour Day
Antwerp 21/03/2017
Dr Larissa Mendoza Straffon
4 QUESTIONS
Why do humans have colour vision?
Do we all see the same colours?
Are colour preferences universal?
When did humans start exploiting colour?
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
4 QUESTIONS
Why do humans have colour vision?
Do we all see the same colours?
Are colour preferences universal?
When did humans start exploiting colour?
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
“weapons of all kinds, musical organs,
bright colours and ornamental
appendages, have all been indirectly
gained by the one sex or the other,
through the exertion of choice, the
influence of love and jealousy”
C. Darwin, 1871.
Why do humans have colour vision? L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
Why do humans have colour vision?
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
Many different species
possess complex colour vision
and use colour displays for
protection, communication,
and attracting mates.
Evidence indicates that
primate trichromatic colour
vision evolved in the context
of food detection, and was
later co-opted by other
behaviours, like mate choice.
Human colour vision is an
inherited trait from our
primate ancestors.
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
4 QUESTIONS
Why do humans have colour vision?
Do we all see the same colours?
Are colour preferences universal?
When did humans start exploiting colour?
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
Do we all see the same colours?
Most modern
languages include
11 ‘basic’ colours:
black, white, grey,
red, orange,
yellow, green,
blue, purple, pink,
and brown
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
The Yolngu (Australia) do not
have a (explicit) distinction for
design and colour.
Brilliance is the most
important property in the
Yolngu aesthetic system.
The Candoshi (Amazonia) do
not seem to have a concept
of colour or any colour words.
They use comparisons to
describe colours, for instance
they would use ‘like ripe fruit’
to say red, or ‘like tar’ to
mean black.
Do we all see the same colours? L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
Do we all see the same colours?
“The Dress”
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
Do we all see the same colours? L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
Humans are actually able
perceive up to millions of
different shades, but these are
generally grouped culturally
into so-called ‘basic colour’
categories.
Perception is not only the
result of how sensory data
are interpreted by the brain,
which may vary among
people, but is also influenced
by factors like distance, angle,
lighting, background, and even
the proximity of other colours.
Do we all see the same colours?
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
4 QUESTIONS
Why do humans have colour vision?
Do we all see the same colours?
Are colour preferences universal?
When did humans start exploiting colour?
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
www.helpscout.net/blog/psychology-of-color
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
Are colour preferences universal? L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
Are colour preferences universal?
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
There are some cross-cultural
similarities regarding the
emotional effects of colour.
Red, yellow, orange often evoke
agitation and stimulation,
whereas blue-green give a feeling
of focus and calm.
These emotional associations
might explain that babies seek
sensory stimulation, while adults
favour calming colours.
If colour biases evolved from
primate food-seeking behaviour,
red-orange colours, associated
with ripe fruit, would induce
arousal and alertness, whereas
green-blue colours reminiscent of
foliage and skies might induce
rest behaviour.
Are colour preferences universal? L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
4 QUESTIONS
Why do humans have colour vision?
Do we all see the same colours?
Are colour preferences universal?
When did humans start exploiting colour?
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
Pinnacle Point, South Africa 160,000 Twin Rivers, Zambia 130,000
Qafzeh Cave, Israel 90,000 Blombos Cave, South Africa 77,000
When did humans start exploiting colour? L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
When did humans start exploiting colour?
Blombos Cave, SA, 100,000 years
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
When did humans start exploiting colour? L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
When did humans start exploiting colour? L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
When did humans start exploiting colour? L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
4 QUESTIONS
Why do humans have colour vision?
Do we all see the same colours?
Are colour preferences universal?
When did humans start exploiting colour?
Some conclusions…
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
Colour vision was
inherited from our
primate ancestors.
Humans since their origin
have been concerned
with ways of
incorporating colour into
their lives, and beyond.
Our species has evolved
unique and extraordinary
strategies to exploit
colour culturally, in many
different contexts.
Our ancestral interest in
colour likely drove the
evolution of human
aesthetic cognition and
artistic behaviour.
L MENDOZA STRAFFON - ICA COLOUR DAY
