Is a “red” rose really red?

According to Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD, a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, it’s not that simple.

While the flower may appear obviously red, the color isn’t an inherent property of the flower itself. Instead, it’s relational, meaning it emerges from the relationship between light, receptors in the eye, and signals processed in the brain.

So, if something as basic as color depends on the relationship between the world and the person perceiving it, what about the rest of reality?

This thought exercise reveals how each of us contributes to our reality, Barrett says, and how we have more control — more responsibility — than we might think.

Seeing the same world differently

Barrett uses animals to break down the concept. Humans typically have three types of color receptors, or cones, in the retina, while dogs have only two. Because of this, we may see a rose as red while a dog sees it as muddy brown.…