Color processing in the brain is a complex neural process that occurs in multiple stages:
- Light first stimulates cone cells in the retina
- Signals travel through the optic nerve to the lateral geniculate nucleus
- Final processing occurs in the visual cortex of the brain
The brain doesn’t just process raw color data – it also considers context, lighting, and previous experiences. This explains phenomena like color constancy, where we perceive objects as having the same color under different lighting conditions, and simultaneous contrast, where surrounding colors influence how we perceive a specific color.