Purple has been a dominant colour in our lives. Beyond those beautiful flowers, crayons, and candies, it is also often associated with royalty. Several kings and queens have been photographed wearing vibrant purple capes. As this colour continues to rule our environment, a new revelation about purple has left everyone shocked. Recently, scientists said that this colour does not exist in real life but is only a figment of our imagination. Purple Has No Place In Electromagnetic SpectrumScientists have said that pruple doesn't exist, not in a way that we think. A new study has upended our perception of the colour wheel, revealing that purple is not a "real" colour in the spectral sense. Unlike red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet—which all correspond to specific wavelengths of light—purple has no unique place on the electromagnetic spectrum. Instead, it's a mental mashup, created by the brain to resolve a paradox it can't physically solve.ALSO READ: Why Does RFK Want Whole Milk To Return To SchoolHere's What Actually HappensWhen both red and blue wavelengths hit our eyes simultaneously—two ends of the visible light spectrum that should never naturally meet—the brain panics. Red and blue are like the North and South Poles of colour, never destined to blend in the linear sequence of light. simply bends the spectrum into a circle to make sense of the confusion. It fills in the gap by inventing a colour that doesn't technically exist in nature—voilà, we get purple. So purple is a colour that is technically not presen in the light spectrum, but exists as a solution to a problem.Our Eyes Have Cone Cells For Colour Reception To grasp why the illusion of purple occurs, we need to explore the biology of vision. Our eyes are equipped with three types of cone cells, each sensitive to short, medium, or long wavelengths—corresponding to blue, green, and red light, respectively. These cones transmit information to the brain through the optic nerve, where the thalamus and visual cortex analyse which cones were stimulated and to what extent.This complex signalling system enables us to perceive not just basic colours but over a million distinct shades, including teal, magenta, and peach—each formed by combining inputs from various cones. However, purple disrupts this process. When both the short (blue/violet) and long (red) wavelength cones activate simultaneously without a corresponding spectral wavelength in between, the brain takes a creative leap. It invents a completely new colour. And this is how we get purple. Purple Colour Has Psychological Effects People often describe this colour as mysterious, spiritual, and imaginative. Meanwhile, psychologists associate the colour purple with the following aspects: CreativityEmotionalityEnlightenmentFemininityImaginationInspirationMysteryRarityRoyaltySpiritualityALSO READ: World Ovarian Cancer Day 2025: Theme, Significance, and History