What color is the dress?

On February 26, 2015 the world learned how such a simple question could be anything but. Some saw the party dress as black and blue, while others vehemently argued that it was in fact white and gold. Although it has since been confirmed that the dress is black and blue, science may have an answer as to why so many of us thought otherwise.

The true root of the debate surrounding 'The Dress' is not exactly what color the fabric is, but what color your mind interprets it as due to a phenomenon known as color constancy. Ashley Wood, an optometrist who teaches at Cardiff University in the U.K told Sky News that the way your brain interprets the outside world is relative to your setting.

"The phenomenon of color constancy means your brain will adjust the color of an object depending on its surroundings or illumination,” Wood explained.

Because we cannot actually see the environment the dress is in in the viral photo, our brains will compensate for what setting it believes the dress may be in.

For those who view the dress as white and gold, their brains may be imagining that the dress is illuminated by natural light, such as sunlight shining through an open window. Those imagining the dress as black and blue may imagine the dress to be illuminated by artificial light, such as that from a light bulb.

“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,” Cedar Riener, associate professor of psychology at Randolph-Macon College told Buzzfeed. “Other people are deciding that it is less illumination on a white/gold dress (it is in shadow, but more reflective).”

Scientists understand what is causing the difference in color perception of the dress, but aren’t sure of what is causing the sharp divide in those who see blue and black and those who see white and gold. This may mean that the world will forever remain bewitched by the fascinating chameleon dress.