Name the ink color, not the word. How fast can you go?
The Stroop Test is one of the most famous experiments in psychology. First described by John Ridley Stroop in 1935, it reveals a fascinating quirk of human cognition: reading is so automatic that it interferes with your ability to name colors . When you see the word "RED" printed in blue ink, your brain wants to say "red" — but the correct answer is "blue."
For fluent readers, reading is an automatic process — you can't look at a word and choose not to read it. Color naming, however, is a controlled process that requires conscious effort. When these two processes conflict (word says one color, ink is another), your brain must use extra resources to override the automatic reading response. This conflict is called the Stroop Effect .
Brain imaging studies show that the Stroop Effect activates the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) — a brain region that monitors conflicts and signals when extra cognitive control is needed. People with stronger ACC activation tend to perform better on the Stroop Test.
Neuropsychologists use the Stroop Test to assess cognitive function in various conditions:
Like any cognitive skill, Stroop performance improves with practice. The conflict resolution process becomes faster as your brain builds stronger inhibitory pathways. Aim for 5–10 minutes daily.
Instead of reading the word, try to "look through" the text and focus only on the color. Some people find it helpful to slightly unfocus their eyes or look at the general color impression rather than the individual letters.
Saying the color name aloud (or silently mouthing it) before clicking can help override the reading impulse. This gives your color-naming process a head start over the automatic reading process.
Other games that train the same cognitive abilities will improve your Stroop performance: