Lottolab results preview on BBC Horizon
8 August 2011
Over the summer, neuroscientist Dr Lotto has been conducting an experiment at the Science Museum in London that aims to uncover the hidden power that colour has over our lives and to find out whether we all experience the same colours. He hopes to find out whether age, sex or even mood can affect the way we perceive colour.
He explains: "Probably most people when they open their eyes very naturally think they're seeing the world as is actually is. They're seeing a surface that is red, they're seeing a sky that is literally blue, and they're seeing trees that are, in fact, green. That's what people think they are seeing and it's very useful to think that. But none of that exists.
"It's a fascinating question: is one person's perception of red the same as someone else's or, in fact, could your perception of red be my perception of green?"
With support from a Society Award from the Wellcome Trust, Dr Lotto has been using visual illusions and games to challenge visitors to the Science Museum to reconsider how they make sense of the world.
Dr Lotto will report on his findings as part of an episode of 'Horizon' about how colour works and how it can affect the way we perceive the world. The show goes on to explore research into whether the colour red can make you into a winner, whether blue helps to set your body clock and how language affects the way we experience colour.
'Horizon: Do You See What I See?' airs on BBC2 at 21.00 tonight.
Image: Dr Beau Lotto. Credit: Lottolab Studio.
