Highlighters are almost an essential stationery item for everyone when studying, preparing for exams, or reading in depth. Faced with the dazzling array of colors in stationery stores, have you ever struggled with which highlighter color best improves memory efficiency? Which color is most harmful to the eyes?
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The core function of highlighters is "visual guidance." By using highly saturated colors to make specific text stand out from black text on white paper, it activates the brain's attention mechanisms. However, inappropriate color choices can lead to visual fatigue or even have the opposite effect.
Yellow highlighter is the best-selling color globally.
Advantages: Yellow is in the center of the visible spectrum, to which the human eye is most sensitive. It attracts attention without being glaring, and usually does not leave dark shadows when photocopying or scanning.
Suitable scenarios: Marking large blocks of text, initial reading.
Green is often associated with nature and balance.
Advantages: Green can relieve eye strain and improve psychological comfort while reading.
Suitable Scenarios: Long periods of study, labeling definitions and concepts.
These two colors are warm tones with a strong impact.
Advantages: Quickly stimulates the brain's alertness.
Disadvantages: Overly strong red may obscure black text, reducing readability; prolonged staring can easily cause visual anxiety.
Suitable Scenarios: Exam countdowns, extremely important core formulas, or deadlines.
Advantages: Gives a sense of composure and calmness.
Disadvantages: Dark blue or purple highlighters are quite dark and can easily obscure the original text; their visibility is low in low light.
Suitable Scenarios: Supplementary explanations, categorizing secondary information.
To maximize learning effectiveness, it's recommended to avoid random highlighting and instead assign a specific logical function to each color of highlighter. Here's a scientifically validated color allocation scheme:

Besides color, a high-quality highlighter should also have the following characteristics:
Yellow remains the most scientific and versatile choice for marking up reading materials, but only by using multiple colors in a logical system can the highlighter truly play its role in knowledge internalization.