[Jimbee (OP)]

Has anyone else ever noticed? Yellow looks a lot like the shade white. It does. When I was a little kid, I asked my mother and she agreed. It looks kind of look blank. And it even looks like white off in the distance. Doesn't it? Why?

And why does purple make you sad. It does. I've heard a lot people say this. You know when Jay Leno took over as host of the Tonight Show in 1992, the set was all draped in purple. And it looked depressing. I couldn't wait for him to change it.

What's the reason?

[varsigma]

I've noticed that you can choose a pair of colors and define a continuous line of color that varies smoothly between the two; for instance halfway along this line the two colors are mixed together in equal proportion.

You can do this with any two colors.

As to the emotional response we have to color schemes, that's another topic. Some people are more sensitive than others.

[Bored chemist]

And why does purple make you sad.

It doesn't.

[paul cotter]

I agree with BC. No colour has any effect on my mood, maybe others are affected but it seems like a very remote possibility.

[alancalverd]

Christian churches generally have prescribed "liturgical colors" for particular ceremonies, and the trend is for violet or purple robes and hangings to be associated with Lent or funerals, with yellow or gold for feasts. I  suspect Jimbee's problem arises from a childhood exposure to the harmful effects of religion.

Eastern religions often adopt white as the funeral color - it would be interesting to see whether this produces a parallel response.

The worship of Jay Leno is intensely depressing in any color.

[paul cotter]

Purple was originally reserved for royalty, if i'm not mistaken(occurs sometimes!!). Jay Leno? who is that?, a member of the corvid family?

[Janus]

alancalverd is likely on to something; You find Purple depressing because you associate it with something depressing in your past. 

[Origin]

Has anyone else ever noticed? Yellow looks a lot like the shade white. It does.

It doesn't.

And why does purple make you sad

Because sometimes people say "seasons greetings" instead of "good morning" or "good afternoon".

[Zer0]

Yellow
&
Purple

[varsigma]

a footnote:

"As an interior designer, I've long been interested in how different colours can affect our mood and behaviour.

For example, if you've recently been to a fast food restaurant, you might notice that there's a lot of red; red chairs and red signs, red trays and red cups.

When, on the other hand, was the last time you ate in a blue restaurant?

There's a reason for this: red, it turns out, has been shown to stimulate the appetite. Blue, on the other hand, has been shown to be an appetite suppressant.

But when it comes to interior design, the colour pink has been particularly controversial.
 . . ."

. . . and the controversy is largely about the use of pink in male-dominated prisons. Apparently the guys eventually get upset about being treated like girls and that means they get more aggressive. Testosterone, who can understand it's mysterious ways?

[Zer0]

@Var

So then an " All you can Eat " buffet should Ideally have blue walls, chairs, tables, cutlery n say even blue food coloring.
(Hmm...what a clever n cunning strategy)

ps - lol@pink!
But wait, if pink is considered Girlish...then What color is Boyish?