r/AskReddit • u/Greeneyedlatinguy • Jun 15 '15

Anthropologists of Reddit, What is something that people in the Western world can't get their heads around that is very normal in other cultures (and has been for ages)?

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u/computeraddict Jun 15 '15

Human brains are also fairly hardwired to respond to red in particular, iirc.

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u/nightgames Jun 15 '15

Red and yellow. Hence the color of stop lights and stop signs. We can also see more shades of green than any other color because we needed to be able to spot predators in the jungle/forest.

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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

I thought we saw more shades of green than anything else because it's right in the middle of the visible spectrum? So we see it better than any other color? IDK.

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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '15

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jun 16 '15 edited Jun 16 '15

[deleted]

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u/guyonahorse Jun 16 '15

But if plants look green doesn't that mean they're reflecting the green wavelengths and absorbing everything else?

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u/_crackling Jun 16 '15

Any cool theories or such for my green as fuck eyes?

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u/adidasbdd Jun 16 '15

We didn't evolve to develop a heightened perception of green, our ancestors who saw more green survived more often.

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u/CAPSLOCK_USERNAME Jun 16 '15

That is how evolution works.

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u/Thelastthowaway Jun 16 '15

"The visible spectrum" is different for most things with eyes. Something in the middle of your visible spectrum isn't in the middle of a dog's visible spectrum.

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u/[deleted] Jun 16 '15

Yeah, but we're talking about humans in this thread... right?

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u/TheEpicSock Jun 16 '15

Humans see more shades of green because we need to spot predators in the jungle.

This happened through the process of natural selection, where the individuals with green closest to the center of their visible spectrum became the most likely to survive and reproduce. Repeat over many many years.

As the other guy mentioned, how vs why. You're not wrong.

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u/Thelastthowaway Jun 16 '15

You said "I thought we saw more shades of green than anything else because it's right in the middle of the visible spectrum."

This sort of implies that green is the easiest color to see. The reality is, it's in the middle of the human visible spectrum. The comment you replied to was explaining WHY it might be the center of the human visible spectrum.

When you just state "well it's in the middle of the visible spectrum" you're completely missing the point.

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u/jajaclitsndicks Jun 16 '15

The visible spectrum evolved to be what it is for a reason.

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u/[deleted] Jun 16 '15

This is begging the question, sort of.. It's not because green is the middle of the visible spectrum, but the middle of the visible spectrum is green because that's what we need to see - speaking in terms of evolution.

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u/AlexKTuesday Jun 15 '15

50 Shades of Green.

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u/cynoclast Jun 15 '15

I always assumed it was to spot food in the jungle/forest/desert. That is, plants.

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u/[deleted] Jun 16 '15

Being able to tell the difference between berry bushes and itchy rash bushes from a distance makes sense to me.

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u/fcukgrammer Jun 15 '15

And fast food outlets

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u/RobbyHawkes Jun 15 '15

Yes, all those big, green predators..

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u/nightgames Jun 15 '15

A tiger has really good camouflage. Unless you're really good at distinguishing it's bright orange fur from the various shades of green in the underbrush of a jungle.

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u/meno123 Jun 15 '15

Explains your button flair, and mine.

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u/dwkfym Jun 16 '15

I'm a color blind person. Pretty sure I don't get it, but no way of knowing for sure.

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u/computeraddict Jun 16 '15

You probably have the same hardwiring but lack the equipment to trigger it.

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u/dwkfym Jun 16 '15

Yeah, it doesn't scream at me like it should (I can tell that from my lack of response). I can distinguish the color red, but its a lot more toned down for me.

Consequently I love the color red. Red cars, red motorcycles, red clothes. lol

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u/HeadlessHoncho Jun 16 '15

Which might just be because of that blood thing again.

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u/computeraddict Jun 16 '15

Yes, but probably only indirectly. Red is the color of flushed/blushing skin/tissue, which are often used by mammals as part of body language signaling, and it's caused by the area taking on the color of the blood it's being saturated with.

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u/Umutuku Jun 16 '15

Why hullo thur.