Many people will have experienced this natural process that changes how you truly see the world around you
Do you ever remember colours being brighter than they seem when you were younger? Your mind isn’t playing tricks on you – there’s a simple explanation, according to an NHS doctor.
The discussion was sparked after someone posted a TikTok clip asking “what happened” because they remembered the world seeming “much brighter” when they were a child. Dr Karan Rajan, an NHS surgeon, explained that some people may feel like this for two reasons.
He said: “If you feel like the world has gone from 4k to 1080p, you may be onto something.” We all went through a biological change during childhood without realising, he explains, that is part of the issue.
The doctor said: “After the age of 10, the clear [eye] lens gradually yellows as a result of absorbing UV light to protect the retina at the back of the eye. This increasing yellowness dulls the vibrancy of colour perception.”
Dr Rajan added that, as we age, the number and sensitivity of colour-detecting cells in our eyes also decrease. This further affects how we perceive colour.
He went on to add that our bodies are not the only thing to blame, though. The medic even suggested that the changing world we live in is “becoming less colourful.”
There was a study carried out by the Science Museum Group which suggests that the “world is converging into a greyness”. The doctor went to to provide some examples of his own.
He said: “Take cars for example. Compared to the 1980s when there’s an abundance of vibrant, saturated car colours, greyscale now makes up the vast majority of cars – think whites, blacks and silvers.
“It is the same with interior design. Compared to the garish tones of the seventies and eighties, monochromatic aesthetics are now becoming more popular.
“With an increasing use of plastic and stainless steel and a decreased use of wood, colours are becoming more diluted and suppressed. Biology explains some of it, but maybe our world is just more boring now.”
