18 Crazy Facts About Colour

Colours are a vital part of life. They are also everywhere. As such, people think they understand them. But that isn’t completely true. There are plenty of fascinating facts to colours that would blow the minds of most people if they ever heard them, for instance:

1. You’ll see red most commonly out of all colours.

Of all the colours, red has the longest wavelength. For this reason, it is the first colour babies see. This can happen at two weeks old.

2. Colour blind people have great night vision.

People who are colour blind see better at night than individuals with ordinary sight. According to the US Army, they can even perceive camouflage colours which makes them better equipped to spot hidden enemies.

3. Pink is a soothing colour.

Pink is popular in prisons and mental health centres because the colour has a calming effect. It has a way of extinguishing anger and anxiety in people.

4. There’s a gender divide!

Women and men don’t see colours the same way. Women can perceive more colours. To be more specific, they can differentiate between similar colours. They tend to perceive more detail. To women, red can be burgundy or crimson. To men, it’s just red.

5. You can fear specific colours.

There is such a thing as the fear of colours. It is called Chromophobia. It can sometimes manifest in people who associate a traumatic event with a particular colour.

6. Mosquitoes are attracted to some colours more than others.

Mosquitoes have an affinity for blue. Technically, they love dark colours in general. But they tend to favour blue above all else.

7. Colours are completely fictional. No, really.

Colours are not real. What you perceive as colour is merely the brain’s attempt at making sense of the signals it is receiving from the world around you.

8. That fact about bulls and ‘seeing red’? It’s a myth.

The colour red does not enrage bulls. In fact, they are colour blind. Bulls are drawn to the movement. A bull is just as likely to charge at purple or pink or blue.

9. The fruit informed the colour.

Some people think that ‘orange’ fruit was named after the colour. But the opposite is true. Before the orange fruit entered the picture, ‘Geoluhread’ was the term associated with the colour orange.

10. The Sun isn’t yellow.

Yes, as some of you have probably heard, the Sun is actually white. Our perception of its light through the atmosphere of the Earth makes it appear yellow.

11. Gendered colours were once the other way round.

Today, it is generally accepted that pink is a colour for girls while blue is for boys. But in the early 1900s, the opposite was true. To many people, blue was a delicate colour whereas pink was bold and strong. Hence, pink was for boys while blue went to the girls.

12. Matador capes are red for a reason you might not think of.

As with the flags they wave, Matadors don’t wear red capes to enrage the bull. They do so because bullfighting ends violently. The cape is supposed to hide the blood splatters.

13. Some people don’t see colours when they sleep.

There are people who dream in black and white. But these are individuals who grew up watching monochrome TV.

14. Redheads take some encouragement!

It takes up to 20% more anesthesia to put a redhead to sleep.

15. What’s the world’s favourite colour?

Blue is the most popular colour in the world, followed by purple.

16. White cars are safe for a reason.

White cars are the safest vehicles on the road because they are the most visible.

17. Colours can save lives.

There is an anti-rape straw that changes colour when it comes into contact with drugs that rapists normally sneak into people’s drinks.

18. What’s a chicken’s favourite colour?

To chickens, the colour red is soothing. It helps them sleep better.

19. Horses have limited palette sight.

Even though horses have the largest eyes of any mammal on land, they can only see two colours.

FAQs about Colours

Do you know any fun facts about colour? Share them in the comments below.