Purple isn't a 'real' color—Scientists explain how we see it
11 Apr 2025

Purple isn't actually a real color. At least not in the way we think.

It has been identified as an illusion by scientists. The revelation comes from a new research that questions our perception of the color spectrum.

The study shows that purple doesn't exist on the electromagnetic spectrum like red, green, yellow or blue do.

This finding challenges what we know about color and perception, raising the question: If purple isn't real, why do we see it everywhere?

Purple is a product of brain's creative problem-solving
Illusion creation

When red and blue wavelengths hit our eyes simultaneously, the brain creates purple.

This happens because red and blue sit at opposite ends of the light spectrum, never meeting in a straight-line progression of color.

To solve this apparent paradox, the brain bends the spectrum into a circle, inventing a color that doesn't technically exist in nature—hence creating purple.

Biological basis of color perception and purple's unique role
Color perception

The phenomenon of color perception is biological. Human eyes contain three types of cone cells, each sensitive to different ranges of light: short (blue), medium (green), and long (red) wavelengths.

When light enters the eye, these cones send signals to the brain, which then interprets the combination of signals as specific colors.

However, since there's no specific wavelength for purple, the brain interprets the simultaneous activation of red and blue cones as the color purple.

Purple's cultural significance despite its neurological origin
Cultural impact

Despite being a product of our brain's interpretation, purple has been culturally significant throughout history.

It symbolized power and wealth in ancient Rome, inspired mysticism in spiritual traditions, and became synonymous with various brands like Cadbury chocolates.

This goes on to show that even though purple may not exist as a distinct color in nature or light spectrum terms, it has a lot of value in human culture and perception.