Purple exists only in our brains
a year ago
- #visible spectrum
- #neuroscience
- #color perception
- Purple is a color created by our brain when it processes a mix of red and blue wavelengths, which are on opposite ends of the visible spectrum.
- The visible spectrum includes colors like red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet (ROYGBIV), but purple is not part of it.
- Our eyes have three types of cones (long, mid, and short-wavelength) that detect light and send signals to the brain, which interprets these signals as colors.
- Purple is a nonspectral color, meaning it requires two wavelengths (red and blue) to be perceived, unlike spectral colors that come from a single wavelength.
- The brain bends the visible spectrum into a color wheel to make sense of the conflicting signals from red and blue cones, creating the illusion of purple.
- All colors are constructs of the brain, which interprets light wavelengths to add meaning and richness to our perception of the world.