🎨 Reaction challenge
Say the colour – not the word!
Sounds easy? Your brain reads automatically – and that’s exactly what makes this test so nasty. 3 rounds with changing rules.
What is the Stroop effect?
In 1935 psychologist John Ridley Stroop described a baffling phenomenon: when the word “RED” is printed in blue ink, it takes us noticeably longer to say “blue”. Reading is so automatic for adults that the brain processes the meaning of the word whether we want it to or not – while naming the colour needs conscious control.
What is the test used for?
Versions of the Stroop test are used in psychology to study attention and impulse control. Here it’s just a game, of course – but a great workout for your focus.
Tips for faster times
- Don’t look at the whole word, just at a single letter – you’ll read less.
- Let your eyes go slightly out of focus: the colour stays, the letters blur.