‘Is My Blue Your Blue?’ Test Compares Your Color Perception With Everyone Else’s

Image generated on AI

We bickered incessantly over The Dress, but it revealed just how distinctly our world is projected back to each of us. Now, there’s a chance to throw more shade at your loved ones, literally.

The new Is My Blue Your Blue? test, created by neuroscience and artificial intelligence researcher Patrick Mineault, invites participants to discover how their ideas of blue and green stack up with others.

Screenshot via Is My Blue Your Blue?

For instance, some people consider turquoise to be green, while others categorize it under the spectrum of blue.

What makes this experiment particularly intriguing is how it highlights the subjective nature of color perception. Factors like language, culture, and even the time of day can actually tint our view of the world.

Interestingly, the concept of blue is relatively new in human history. Its mention is eye-openingly absent from ancient texts, with Homer describing the sky as “iron” or “copper” and the sea as “wine-dark.” This suggests that cerulean tones become more prominent when there’s an official word for them.

Different cultures have varying numbers of color terms, which can affect how individuals distinguish between shades. Today, certain civilizations still do not see blue as clearly as others. 

As the test progresses, you’ll be asked to group increasingly similar blue-green shades. Your responses are plotted on a graph, where you’ll finally learn how much bluer or greener you are than the rest of the population. Take it here.

Screenshot via Is My Blue Your Blue?

Next up: are tennis balls yellow or green?

[via Kottke, Neatorama, Boing Boing, images via various sources]