Have you ever looked at the world around you and thought that it appears to be less colorful and vibrant than when you were a child? You’re probably not wrong.
This strange phenomenon has been highlighted in a TikTok video by Dr Karan Rajan, a UK-based surgeon and university lecturer. He explains, however, that as well as there being a biological reason why your eyes may be seeing less color than they used to, the world itself is becoming less colorful too.
The biological reason why the world may appear less colorful
Posted on April 19, the video sees Dr Rajan referencing a clip where the poster, using captions, asks why the world looked more colorful and vibrant when they were a child.
Dr Rajan explains one possible reason for this could be due to the biology of the human eye.
“After the age of 10, the clear human lens gradually yellows as a result of absorbing UV light to protect the retina at the back of the eye,” he explains. “The increasing yellowness dulls the vibrancy of color perception.”
“This, combined with the fact that the number and sensitivity of color-detecting cone cells [in the eye] decreases [which] further affects color contrast,” adds Dr Rajan.
Multiple studies back up Dr Rajan’s statements, including one published in the National Library of Medicine which found that increasing age correlated with more errors on a 100-Hue test, which assesses a person’s sensitivity to color.
The physical reason
However, beyond the biology of the human eye, Dr Rajan also touches on the fact that the world itself, specifically the products and designs within it, is becoming less colorful.
The surgeon highlights a study conducted by the UK’s Science Museum Group which analyzed photographs of over 7,000 objects from throughout history.
Dr Rajan notes that his research “suggests that the world is converging into a grayness,” as more and more pieces of technology are being made in white, black or gray.
“Take cars, for example,” he says. “Compared to the 1980s [when] there was an abundance of vibrant, saturated car colors, grayscale now makes up the vast majority of cars. The whites, blacks and silvers.”
“[It’s the] same with interior design,” he adds. “Compared to the garish tones of the 70s and 80s, colors with shades of gray and monochromatic aesthetics are now becoming more popular.
A great example shown in the Science Museum Group’s research was in two pieces of communication technology. A telegraph from 1844 and an iPhone 3G, first launched in 2008.
The telegraph pictured was made with mahogany wood and also features brass handles and gray-colored instruments. This means the colors on display vary from dark browns and deep reds to oranges, golds and more pronounced yellows, as well as silver for the instruments and blacks and grays for the shadows cast by the complex design.
The iPhone, meanwhile featured little more than black, white and various shades of gray in between.
“Biology explains some of it, but maybe our world is just more boring now,” Dr Rajan says to end his video.
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