![Stylized, colorful block letters that read "Trip Up Your Brain."](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/header_main/2906455-1-eng-US/header_main_full_495.gif 495w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/header_main/2906455-1-eng-US/header_main_full_990.gif 725w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/header_main/2906455-1-eng-US/header_main_full_1468.gif 725w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/header_main/2906455-1-eng-US/header_main_full_1980.gif 725w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/header_main/2906455-1-eng-US/header_main_full_2475.gif 725w)
The human brain is very special and incredibly powerful. It can solve math equations, write symphonies, and read books. In fact, the brain is so amazing that it has the ability to think about thinking . No other living creatures' brain can do that!
But the brain can be fooled. It is constantly being bombarded with information from the world around us. So it sometimes takes shortcuts to interpret this flow of information.
Trip up your brain with this experiment!
Name That Color
How fast can you say the COLOR of the text?
Click START when you are ready. Click STOP when you're done.
![The words "orange, green, black, blue, red, purple, yellow, blue" written repeatedly, each in colors that match their name.](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/letter_left/3128502-1-eng-US/letter_left_full_495.png 144w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/letter_left/3128502-1-eng-US/letter_left_full_990.png 144w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/letter_left/3128502-1-eng-US/letter_left_full_1468.png 144w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/letter_left/3128502-1-eng-US/letter_left_full_1980.png 144w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/letter_left/3128502-1-eng-US/letter_left_full_2475.png 144w)
![Good job!](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/popup_1finished/3130326-2-eng-US/popup_1finished_full_495.png 428w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/popup_1finished/3130326-2-eng-US/popup_1finished_full_990.png 428w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/popup_1finished/3130326-2-eng-US/popup_1finished_full_1468.png 428w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/popup_1finished/3130326-2-eng-US/popup_1finished_full_1980.png 428w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/popup_1finished/3130326-2-eng-US/popup_1finished_full_2475.png 428w)
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![The words "yellow, blue, orange, black, red, green, purple" written repeatedly, each in a color that does not match the name.](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/letter_right/3128514-1-eng-US/letter_right_full_495.png 144w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/letter_right/3128514-1-eng-US/letter_right_full_990.png 144w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/letter_right/3128514-1-eng-US/letter_right_full_1468.png 144w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/letter_right/3128514-1-eng-US/letter_right_full_1980.png 144w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/letter_right/3128514-1-eng-US/letter_right_full_2475.png 144w)
![good job!](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/popup_2finished/3130314-2-eng-US/popup_2finished_full_495.png 428w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/popup_2finished/3130314-2-eng-US/popup_2finished_full_990.png 428w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/popup_2finished/3130314-2-eng-US/popup_2finished_full_1468.png 428w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/popup_2finished/3130314-2-eng-US/popup_2finished_full_1980.png 428w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/popup_2finished/3130314-2-eng-US/popup_2finished_full_2475.png 428w)
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Brain Dribble
Most likely, you had no problem identifying the colors in column A. It was easy! The color matched the meaning of the word. But column B wasn't so easy. The color and the meaning of each word are different.
What was happening in your brain?
![Cartoon drawing of a girl with arrows pointing to a green dot, the word yellow and the word conflict on her head. She is saying “yellow… no, green…er,](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/dribble_diagram/3128490-1-eng-US/dribble_diagram_full_495.gif 495w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/dribble_diagram/3128490-1-eng-US/dribble_diagram_full_990.gif 707w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/dribble_diagram/3128490-1-eng-US/dribble_diagram_full_1468.gif 707w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/dribble_diagram/3128490-1-eng-US/dribble_diagram_full_1980.gif 707w,/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/amnh/images/explore/ology-images/brain/trip-up-your-brain/dribble_diagram/3128490-1-eng-US/dribble_diagram_full_2475.gif 707w)