Throughout my 18 years, I have had inkling that women have a better eye for color coordination, matching, home decorating, and other things involving design and color hues. But why is this? This is because women really do see colors differently; women see colors in tints, and in more detail than men for a variety of reasons such as differences in genetic make up and differences in neuron development.

In 2007, an experiment  to find how men and women differ their perception of color was conducted by Dr. Anya Hurlbert and Dr. Yazhu Ling. In the experiment, a color spectrum was split into two groups. Group one was red-green colors, and the second group was blue-yellow colors. Different colors were then removed from the spectrum and put into rectangles. The rectangles were then flashed onto a computer screen in groups of two. The subjects were asked to select which colored rectangle they preferred. The result of the experiment was that both men and women preferred blue, and when asked to choose from mixed colors, women chose colors on the red end of the spectrum, relatable to colors such as pink. The experiment also concluded that women lean more towards “soft” colors and men were more likely to gravitate towards bright ones. Men also like more achromatic colors, ones with no hue, like black, white, and grey. A tint is a color with white added. Tints are softer. A shade is a color with black added; they are much darker than tints. In a McInnis and Shearer experiment, it was found that women prefer tints more than shades. Men are also more likely to use generalizations when it comes to color. They would say just “red” instead of maraschino, cayenne, maroon, red-orange.

A researcher at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, Brian Verrelli, has been collaborating on a study that suggests natural genetic selection has given women the ability to tell the difference between colors better than men. In the experiment, the DNA of 236 random men from “geographically diverse populations” were studied. The researches used computer analysis to crate scenarios that proved the level of variation was not purely random, and definitely had something to do with genetics. The research was based off of the gene that allows people to see red, a gene that is only found on the X chromosome. The study found that this gene maintains an unusual amount of variation, about three times that of other genes. The variation happens when the genetic material is exchanged with another gene that detects green. Women have two X chromosomes, while men only have one. Because women have two, they can receive one chromosome with the “red vision” gene, and one variant. This combination, which the researchers say only occurs in about 40% of women, is what provides better red-orange color vision. Since men are only given one X chromosome, “any variation in the single red gene that they receive reduces their ability to distinguish between red and green.” The study concluded that the variation occurred 80% of the time.

But how did this all come about? According to National Geographic, Brooklyn College psychology professor, Israel Abramov led a study to find out why women see colors differently than men. As stated before from the 2007 experiment, women were more likely to refer to different tints. Abramov and researchers concluded that, “males require a slightly longer wavelength than do females in order to experience the same hue.” Warmer colors are linked to longer wavelength, which is why a color may seem deeper to a man (remember that tints are softer whereas shades are darker.) While conducting the study, researches found that men were quicker in detecting details, like flashing or blinking lights. The study also inferred that since neuron development in the visual cortex is, “boosted by masculine hormones” and men obviously have more testosterone than women, they are born with 25% more neurons in the visual cortex than women. This is what helps them react more quickly to blinking or flashing lights. The researchers say that this all can relate back to prehistoric times of gender roles. Men were the hunters, and women were the gatherers. Men had to watch for any quick movements or flashes of color to know whether they should hunt the animal. Women had to pay attention to colors of plants like berries so their knack for color could be related to how closely they were exposed to different colors.

The research all suggests ways in which women have been more inclined to have a better sense of color judgment than men, and why this has happened. From genetics, hormones, or adaptations from prehistoric times. No matter what the reason may be, I think it is apparent that women have more of an eye for the variations in colors, shades, details, and tints than men.