A scientific explanation behind the colours of THAT dress
Here's why some people see white and gold, while others see black and blue.
![](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2015/02/tumblr_nkcjuq8Tdr1tnacy1o1_500.jpg)
The dress recently posted by BuzzFeed has sparked a debate amongst Internet users, with some claiming they see white and gold, and others saying they see black and blue. So which is it, really? According to follow-up articles by BuzzFeed, the dress is, in fact, black and blue, for the following reasons:
It’s about how your brain is interpreting the light coming into your eyes.
Cedar Riener, associate professor of psychology at Randolph-Macon College, was quoted as saying the following:
“We are always making decisions about the quantity of light that comes into our retina,” Riener said.
This light, called luminance, is always a combination of how much light is shining on an object and how much it reflects off of the object’s surface, he added.
For those seeing #WhiteandGold in #TheDress (https://t.co/pNG9tXu5pU), @HopeTaylorPhoto ends the debate. pic.twitter.com/W7TwQJy13m
— Adobe (@Adobe) February 27, 2015
“In the case of the dress, some people are deciding that there is a fair amount of illumination on a blue and black (or less reflective) dress. Other people are deciding that it is less illumination on a white/gold dress (it is in shadow, but more reflective).” Read the full article here.
There you have it, folks. There’s an explanation for everything, it seems.