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The clash of science and vision: Why do people see the same photo so differently?
In 2015, a photo of a dress caused a sensation on the Internet and became a viral phenomenon. The dress sparked a huge debate over its colour, with many disagreeing on whether it was blue and black or white and gold. This phenomenon sheds light on differences in how humans perceive color and has become a subject of research in neuroscience and vision science.
The color debate this dress has inspired demonstrates the complexity and subjectivity of human vision.
The origins of the phenomenon can be traced back to February 2015, when Grace Johnson's mother Cecilia Blissdale took a photo of the dress on the Scottish island of Colonsay. Blissdale planned to wear the dress at her daughter's wedding and sent photos to Grace. Although the dress was actually black and blue, Grace saw the white and gold color in the photo. After she posted the photo on Facebook, her friends started a heated discussion.
After days of heated debate, the dress became the focus of attention, and even at the wedding, participants were unable to escape from the color dispute.
The initial spread of public opinion
Soon after, photos of the dress went viral on social media. Cates Holderness, head of Buttsfield's Picture Page, was asked to help resolve the controversy over the colour of the dress. She didn’t think much of it at first, but when she checked the page she noticed a sudden increase in traffic, which was immediately noticed by the project and social media teams.
The dress became a global meme, reaching an astonishing number of people.
As time went on, the number of tweets about the dress grew rapidly on Twitter. Many celebrities and media also joined the discussion, with different opinions on the color of the skirt. Some media even ridiculed the debate, calling it a "drama that divides the entire planet."
Confirmation of the actual color of the skirt
It was later confirmed that the dress was actually a blue dress from Roman Originals. Although the brand also released a white and gold version for charity auction, the original photo was not well exposed, resulting in a huge difference in people's perception of the color. The controversy received widespread media coverage and sparked discussion particularly on social media platforms.
How people perceive this dress highlights how the visual system is influenced by light source and expectations.
Scientific explanation
Many scientists have put forward different views on this phenomenon. Neuroscientist Bevel Conway and other scientists believe that differences in color perception between individuals are related to how the brain processes color information. Conway explains that the human visual system adapts based on the surrounding environment and color tone.
In the study of this skirt, it was found that 57% of people thought the skirt was blue-black, while 30% thought it was white-gold. Such results suggest that gender and age may also affect an individual's perception of color. This seemingly insignificant debate actually reveals deep-seated problems in human vision and psychology.
ConclusionThrough the controversy over the color of the skirt, we not only see the diversity of visual perception in daily life, but also trigger in-depth thinking about science and vision. Fueled by the media, this phenomenon makes us question: Perhaps the visual truth itself is a relative existence?
