You’ve probably seen the book. It’s sitting on a shelf in a kindergarten classroom or tucked into a library display with a bright, goofy cover. Kristen Bell and Benjamin Hart hit on something weirdly profound when they released The World Needs More Purple People. It sounds like a simple kids' concept, doesn’t it? But honestly, if you look at the state of our discourse lately, the idea is actually a survival strategy for adults.
Being "purple" isn't about politics or mixing red and blue states, though that's the easiest leap to make. It’s a mindset. It’s about being the kind of person who asks questions, works hard, and remembers how to laugh at the absurdity of being alive. We’re living in a time where everyone is incentivized to pick a side, stay in a lane, and never, ever talk to the "other." That's exhausting. It’s also making us remarkably boring.
The reality is that the world needs more purple people because we are currently drowning in "team" mentalities that prioritize winning over understanding. When we stop being curious, we stop growing. It’s that simple.
The Anatomy of a Purple Person (And Why It’s Harder Than It Looks)
So, what does this actually look like in the real world? In the book, Bell and Hart outline five steps: ask great questions, laugh a lot, use your voice, work hard, and just be you.
Seems easy. It isn't.
Take "asking great questions." In a professional setting, we often fake knowledge because we're terrified of looking incompetent. A purple person is the one in the meeting who says, "I don't actually get how that's going to help the customer—can you explain it like I’m five?" That takes guts. It’s about intellectual humility. Researchers like Edgar Schein, a former professor at MIT Sloan School of Management, have written extensively about "Humble Inquiry." It’s the art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not already know the answer.
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If you want to be purple, you have to be okay with not being the smartest person in the room. You have to trade your ego for a magnifying glass.
Curiosity as a Competitive Advantage
Think about the most successful innovators. They aren't the ones with all the answers; they’re the ones obsessed with why things don't work. Take James Dyson. He went through 5,127 prototypes for his vacuum. That’s not just "working hard." That is a relentless, almost manic curiosity. He was asking questions of his own failures.
When we talk about why the world needs more purple people, we’re talking about people who don't see a "No" as a brick wall. They see it as a data point.
Why Laughter Is Actually a Serious Business Tool
Let’s talk about the "laugh a lot" part. It sounds fluffy. It sounds like something you’d put on a "Live, Laugh, Love" sign from a discount home goods store. But humor is a high-level cognitive skill.
According to a study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, people who use humor are perceived as more confident and competent. It breaks down the "us vs. them" barriers faster than any corporate sensitivity training ever could.
Ever been in a high-tension situation where one person cracked a self-deprecating joke and the whole room just... exhaled? That’s purple energy. It’s the realization that we’re all kind of a mess and that’s okay. Laughter is the ultimate equalizer. It reminds us that the person across the table—the one you’re supposed to disagree with—also likes a good pun or a ridiculous story about a cat.
The Problem With Staying in Your Lane
Most of us are conditioned to be "Red" or "Blue"—not in the political sense, necessarily, but in the sense of being rigid. We have our tribes. We have our "correct" way of doing things.
But look at someone like the late Anthony Bourdain. He was arguably one of the most "purple" public figures we’ve ever had. He went into places he didn't understand, sat down with people he had nothing in common with, and asked: "What makes you happy? What do you eat?" He didn't go in to lecture. He went in to listen.
The world is currently built on algorithms that want to keep you in your lane. Whether it’s YouTube, TikTok, or your news feed, you are being fed more of what you already believe. This creates a feedback loop that makes us brittle. We lose the ability to handle nuance.
Nuance Is a Superpower
Being purple means embracing the "and."
- I can be a fiscal conservative and care deeply about environmental protection.
- I can be a hardcore tech enthusiast and think we should all put our phones away at dinner.
- I can be a competitive athlete and love knitting.
Complexity is what makes us human. When we flatten ourselves into one-dimensional characters to fit into a social group, we lose the very thing that makes us useful to the world.
Working Hard vs. Working Loudly
We live in the era of "hustle culture," but purple people do it differently. There’s a distinction between working hard and performative busyness.
A purple person works hard because they actually care about the craft. They aren't doing it for the "Gram." They are doing it because there is a deep satisfaction in a job well done. This ties back to the concept of "Flow," popularized by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. When you’re in flow, you’re not thinking about the reward; you’re immersed in the work itself.
Honestly, the world has enough "influencers." We need more people who are willing to get their hands dirty without needing a standing ovation for it.
Using Your Voice (Even When It Shakes)
"Use your voice" is the fourth step in the purple person manifesto. This isn't about shouting. It’s about standing up for things that matter—especially when it’s uncomfortable.
In the 1960s, social psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted his famous (and controversial) experiments on obedience. He found that an alarming number of people would do things they knew were wrong just because an authority figure told them to.
Purple people are the "deviants" in that equation. They are the ones who say, "Wait, this doesn't feel right." Using your voice means being the person who speaks up for the colleague being talked over in a meeting. It means telling your friend that their joke was actually pretty hurtful.
It’s not about having a megaphone; it’s about having a spine.
The "Just Be You" Paradox
This is the hardest part. "Just be you" is the most common—and most useless—advice ever given.
Why? Because we spend our whole lives being told who we should be. Be more professional. Be more feminine. Be more masculine. Be more "upwardly mobile."
To be a purple person is to strip away those layers. It’s about authenticity. Not the fake, polished "authenticity" we see on social media, but the messy, weird, inconsistent reality of who you are. If you like weird 80s synth-pop and studying lichen, be that person. The world doesn't need more copies. It needs the original version of you.
Actionable Steps to Get More Purple in Your Life
If you’re feeling a bit "monochrome" lately, you don't need a total life overhaul. You just need to tweak your defaults.
1. Practice the "Three Whys"
Next time you're talking to someone with a completely different worldview, don't try to win the argument. Try to find out why they believe what they believe. Ask "Why?" three times (politely). You’ll usually find a core value you actually share, like wanting a safe neighborhood or a better future for their kids.
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2. Audit Your Information Diet
If your news feed only makes you angry, it’s broken. Follow five people this week who you disagree with but respect. Read their long-form thoughts, not just their 280-character barbs. This isn't about changing your mind; it's about stretching your empathy muscles.
3. Do Something Badly
Purple people aren't afraid of being beginners. Pick up a hobby—pottery, coding, pickleball—and be okay with being terrible at it for a while. It keeps your ego in check and your curiosity high.
4. Find Your "Purple" Community
Look for spaces that aren't echo chambers. Volunteer at a community garden, join a multi-generational book club, or strike up a conversation with your neighbor who has the weird yard decorations.
5. Speak Up for a "Minor" Thing
Practice using your voice on the small stuff so you’re ready for the big stuff. If a process at work is clearly broken, suggest a fix. If a friend makes a lazy generalization, challenge it gently.
The world doesn't change because of one massive event. It changes because millions of people decide to be slightly more curious, slightly kinder, and a lot more honest. We don't need to wait for a hero. We just need to start being a little more purple ourselves.
Stop worrying about being right all the time. Start worrying about being interested. That’s where the magic happens. That’s how we fix the mess we’re in. It starts with a question, a laugh, and the courage to be exactly who you are without apologizing for it.
Key Takeaways for the Aspiring Purple Person
- Curiosity over Certainty: Prioritize asking questions over having all the answers.
- Humor as a Bridge: Use laughter to de-escalate tension and connect with others.
- Authentic Voice: Speak up for what is right, even when it feels awkward or risky.
- Intrinsic Effort: Work hard because the work matters, not for the external validation.
- Radical Individuality: Embrace your quirks; they are your greatest contribution to a monotonous world.
Find one way to be "purple" today. Maybe it's just listening to a coworker you usually ignore. Maybe it's admitting you don't know something. Whatever it is, do it. The world is waiting.