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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Women and men see things differently - literally. Sex difference in colour and motion perception.

75 replies

ArabellaScott · 04/05/2026 12:11

Women see more colours than men, while men are better able to see movement.

https://www.genengnews.com/insights/why-men-and-women-see-things-differently/

'Women ... are better than men in distinguishing colors in the middle of the visual spectrum, such as shades of blue and green.
That’s because color vision depends on three types of cones, two of which are carried on the X-chromosome—L-cones that are more sensitive to the longer wavelengths of light; and S-cones, to shorter wavelengths. The third cones, M-cones, are sensitive to middle wavelengths.
“Across most of the visible spectrum, males require a slightly longer wavelength than do females in order to experience the same hue,” researchers from two City University of New York schools concluded in their study, published September 4 in Biology of Sex Differences.'

https://archive.ph/qMlq4

'....the grass is almost always greener to women than to men, to whom verdant objects appear a bit yellower.

The study also found that men are less adept at distinguishing among shades in the center of the color spectrum: blues, greens, and yellows.
Where the men shone was in detecting quick-changing details from afar, particularly by better tracking the thinner, faster-flashing bars within a bank of blinking lights.
The team puts this advantage down to neuron development in the visual cortex, which is boosted by masculine hormones. Since males are flush with testosterone, in particular, they're born with 25 percent more neurons in this brain region than females, the team noted.'

Why Men and Women See Things Differently

A possible explanation for the disparities goes back centuries to when men generally served as hunter-gatherers and women as nurturers and child bearers.

https://www.genengnews.com/insights/why-men-and-women-see-things-differently/

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ArabellaScott · 04/05/2026 12:12

Hm. Tiny sample. 'To assess perceptions of color among the sexes, the team of investigators from Brooklyn and Hunter Colleges assembled a group of 36 women and 16 men aged 16–38, with 20/20 vision'

The paper: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3483194/

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ArabellaScott · 04/05/2026 12:14

I am interested to find this journal, though!

'Biology of Sex Differences is a unique scientific journal that incorporates basic and clinical research focusing on sex differences in physiology, behavior, and disease, from molecules to phenotypes. The goal of the journal is to improve understanding of basic principles mediating sex differences and foster development of therapeutic and diagnostic tools that are specific for each sex/phenotype. This open access journal is the highly respected official journal of the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences, and is co-published by the Society for Women’s Health Research. '

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ArabellaScott · 04/05/2026 12:16

https://swhr.org/

'As a national thought leader dedicated to advancing women’s health and promoting research on sex differences to optimize women’s health, the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) plays a critical role in identifying clinical and research gaps; raising awareness of diseases, conditions, and life stages that differently, disproportionately, or exclusively affect women; and promoting policies that could positively shape health outcomes for women. Over its more than 30-year history, SWHR has been advancing women’s health through its core functions of science, policy, and education.'

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Scoffingbiscuits · 04/05/2026 12:18

So if true this might make men better at hunting?

user2848502016 · 04/05/2026 12:21

This makes sense in evolutionary terms because men would be better adapted to hunting.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 04/05/2026 12:28

In the mid 90s when I was a postgrad at Newcastle Uni, I took part in a few trials in the medical school. One was about colour perception. That research shows that women can see about 350-400 colours and men about 70.

Helleofabore · 04/05/2026 12:35

I remember Dr Emma Hilton and some others have been good on this so I suspect there are more studies than just this one pointing out the differences.

Emma Hilton has said more than once that the issue is also that male people have the fast twitch muscles that means their reaction time is faster than that of female people. So, the recognition and the reaction may both be a factor.

It has been an advantage that she has mentioned in relation to sport and hitting balls / catching etc.

ArabellaScott · 04/05/2026 12:37

https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20140905-the-women-with-super-human-vision

on 'tetrachromats'

'...the gene for our red and green cone types lies on the X chromosome. Since women have two X chromosomes, they could potentially carry two different versions of the gene, each encoding for a cone that is sensitive to slightly different parts of the spectrum. In addition to the other two, unaffected cones, they would therefore have four in total – making them a “tetrachromat”. For these reasons, it’s thought to be a condition exclusive to women.

The women with superhuman vision

A tiny group of people can see ‘invisible’ colours that no-one else can perceive, discovers David Robson. How do they do it?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20140905-the-women-with-super-human-vision

OP posts:
7in1Pond · 04/05/2026 12:39

Men- hunters need to see movement
Women- gatherers- need to spot the berries among the leaves

TheywontletmehavethenameIwant · 04/05/2026 12:41

Scoffingbiscuits · 04/05/2026 12:18

So if true this might make men better at hunting?

And women better at spotting deadly animals who have very good camouflage perhaps.

Basically snakes, I'm thinking of snakes, and scorpions, and funnel spiders, in fact pretty much all the million and one lifeforms that could kill us. We might not be hunters but we're better at surviving.

ThatOpenSwan · 04/05/2026 12:41

A fun thing is when you start hormonally transitioning your vision changes - only a bit but enough to notice, according to a trans friend. Isn't it great how interesting human bodies are?

CassOle · 04/05/2026 12:43

LOL.

Wearenotborg · 04/05/2026 12:44

ThatOpenSwan · 04/05/2026 12:41

A fun thing is when you start hormonally transitioning your vision changes - only a bit but enough to notice, according to a trans friend. Isn't it great how interesting human bodies are?

No. Really. Just no. Sorry bud but your friend is either lying to you or doing the whole wishful thinking malarkey. Hormones will not change any sex related differences.

Scoffingbiscuits · 04/05/2026 12:45

ThatOpenSwan · 04/05/2026 12:41

A fun thing is when you start hormonally transitioning your vision changes - only a bit but enough to notice, according to a trans friend. Isn't it great how interesting human bodies are?

OMG, that must mean that transwomen really are women after all!

Shortshriftandlethal · 04/05/2026 12:53

Helleofabore · 04/05/2026 12:35

I remember Dr Emma Hilton and some others have been good on this so I suspect there are more studies than just this one pointing out the differences.

Emma Hilton has said more than once that the issue is also that male people have the fast twitch muscles that means their reaction time is faster than that of female people. So, the recognition and the reaction may both be a factor.

It has been an advantage that she has mentioned in relation to sport and hitting balls / catching etc.

Throwing and catching skills are very much shaped by hand/eye co-ordination - which exists to greater or lesser degrees amongst all people, both male and female. I think this may be linked to spatial awareness too - because in order to catch a ball which has been thrown at speed, for example, you have to be able to make a super quick intuitive assessement/judgment of where in space that ball is and then move to apprehend it. Having such quick reflexes and good co-ordination is essential for success in sports.

Shortshriftandlethal · 04/05/2026 12:58

7in1Pond · 04/05/2026 12:39

Men- hunters need to see movement
Women- gatherers- need to spot the berries among the leaves

Mothers also have exceptional motion awareness as they tend to be able to detect all possible threats in the environment. An ability to scan the environment and immediately assess where the risks are coming from.

lcakethereforeIam · 04/05/2026 12:59

ThatOpenSwan · 04/05/2026 12:41

A fun thing is when you start hormonally transitioning your vision changes - only a bit but enough to notice, according to a trans friend. Isn't it great how interesting human bodies are?

Wow! I wonder if oestrogen cures colour blindness?😃

I don't really, ffsHmm

ArabellaScott · 04/05/2026 13:03

Shortshriftandlethal · 04/05/2026 12:58

Mothers also have exceptional motion awareness as they tend to be able to detect all possible threats in the environment. An ability to scan the environment and immediately assess where the risks are coming from.

I noticed this ability develop once I was pregnant and it's never gone away. I could catch things before I'd even consciously noticed they were falling, something in my peripheral vision would be falling out of a cupboard and I'd catch it before I knew what was happening. I would not be surprised if this was down to heightened risk awareness, tbh.

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TheywontletmehavethenameIwant · 04/05/2026 13:05

ThatOpenSwan · 04/05/2026 12:41

A fun thing is when you start hormonally transitioning your vision changes - only a bit but enough to notice, according to a trans friend. Isn't it great how interesting human bodies are?

Unlikely, unless your friend is a trans IDing female and therefore has two X chromosomes

'...the gene for our red and green cone types lies on the X chromosome. Since women have two X chromosomes, they could potentially carry two different versions of the gene, each encoding for a cone that is sensitive to slightly different parts of the spectrum. In addition to the other two, unaffected cones, they would therefore have four in total – making them a “tetrachromat”. For these reasons, it’s thought to be a condition exclusive to women.

Science trumps anecdote every time.

Shortshriftandlethal · 04/05/2026 13:14

ArabellaScott · 04/05/2026 13:03

I noticed this ability develop once I was pregnant and it's never gone away. I could catch things before I'd even consciously noticed they were falling, something in my peripheral vision would be falling out of a cupboard and I'd catch it before I knew what was happening. I would not be surprised if this was down to heightened risk awareness, tbh.

Environmental awareness is a matter of survival for us all. A lack of awareness of who or what is in your environment is a liability...which is why I think wearing earphones or earplugs when out in public is a real danger. You need all of your senses functioning. Sound is related, also, to spatial awareness. You see people marching out into the road without awareness of who or what is around them when they are 'plugged in'.

Sometimes we can feel undefended and without boundaries which can make even going out of the front door an ordeal. The world and all of its sensate phenomenon can be overwhelming. I think autistic people can find this particularly tough.; though i also think the contemporary tendency for being glued or plugged into technology 24/7 ( phones/music/podcasts etc) has led to worsening mental health as people now find it frigtening to deal with the world in the raw, uncushioned, without distraction.

Shedmistress · 04/05/2026 13:14

ThatOpenSwan · 04/05/2026 12:41

A fun thing is when you start hormonally transitioning your vision changes - only a bit but enough to notice, according to a trans friend. Isn't it great how interesting human bodies are?

Is it a humiliation fetish? Or you genuinely think that saying three words changes your vision?

CassOle · 04/05/2026 13:18

Shedmistress · 04/05/2026 13:14

Is it a humiliation fetish? Or you genuinely think that saying three words changes your vision?

It's the exogenous oestrogen... this lieterally rewrites every cell in their body... or something.

'Lieterally' was a typo, but I think I will leave it!

Daleksatemyshed · 04/05/2026 14:22

7in1Pond · 04/05/2026 12:39

Men- hunters need to see movement
Women- gatherers- need to spot the berries among the leaves

Yes, agree with this. It's interesting tbat men are far more likely to be colour blind too

illuminada · 04/05/2026 14:53

ThatOpenSwan · 04/05/2026 12:41

A fun thing is when you start hormonally transitioning your vision changes - only a bit but enough to notice, according to a trans friend. Isn't it great how interesting human bodies are?

Hahahaha

RoyalCorgi · 04/05/2026 15:03

TheywontletmehavethenameIwant · 04/05/2026 13:05

Unlikely, unless your friend is a trans IDing female and therefore has two X chromosomes

'...the gene for our red and green cone types lies on the X chromosome. Since women have two X chromosomes, they could potentially carry two different versions of the gene, each encoding for a cone that is sensitive to slightly different parts of the spectrum. In addition to the other two, unaffected cones, they would therefore have four in total – making them a “tetrachromat”. For these reasons, it’s thought to be a condition exclusive to women.

Science trumps anecdote every time.

The two X chromosomes are the key thing – they account for a lot of sex-based differences. There isn't much genetic material on the Y chromosome, but a number of conditions are carried on the X chromosome.

Because women have two X chromosomes, the 'good' chromosome can cancel out the defects on the bad one, whereas if you're a man with just the one X you're stuck with it. This is why colour blindness, for example, affects one in 12 men but only one in 200 women.

And unfortunately for our activist friends, it doesn't matter how many hormones you take or how much surgery you have, you can't change your chromosomes. Bad luck.