The way we see colors changes as we age, a study says. Science

The research included two groups: one of 17 individuals with an average age of 27.7 years and the other of 20 individuals with an average age of 64.4 years. The researchers placed volunteers in a darkened room and showed them 26 different colors while measuring their pupil diameter using a highly sensitive eye-tracking camera.

Each shadow appeared on the screen for 5 seconds. Dark, soft, saturated and light shades of purple, blue, green, yellow and red were showcased, as well as two shades of orange and four gray options.

The device, which captured the diameter of the pupils a thousand times per second, made it possible to observe that the pupils of healthy elderly people constricted less than those of young people in response to increased color saturation. This difference was more pronounced for green and purple.

Changes in clarity or brightness of tones elicited similar responses in both groups.

“This work questions the widespread belief among scientists that color perception remains relatively constant throughout life. Instead, it suggests that colors slowly fade as we age,” explained Janneke van Leeuwen from the Institute of Neuroscience at University College London ( UCL). in England, In the current situation.

The research may also help explain the preference to wear brighter colors among older people, the expert suggests. Therefore, the findings could have implications for adapting fashions and environments for older people, as well as understanding diseases such as dementia.