How can lighting affect us

Think back to the last time you were in a room not lit in ordinary whites or off-yellows. And not all lights have the same effects. Here are eight ways that lighting affects your mood:. A study in the Journal of Consumer Psychology 6 found that more intense lights can cause people to feel not just more intense positive emotions, but stronger negative emotions too.

According to a study in the scientific journal Appetite 7 , blue light can sometimes suppress your appetite, though this effect may depend strongly on gender. The study found a correlation between blue light exposure and decreased appetite only in men — it found no such correlation for women.

However, a study in the Journal of Environmental Engineering 8 found exactly the opposite. Despite its brightness, fluorescent work lighting 11 is associated with disruptions to the circadian rhythm, leading to lower energy levels throughout the day.

Fluorescent light exposure may also lead to irritability, anxiety, and inability to focus. We mentioned earlier that green light can help alleviate migraine symptoms, but some lights —especially fluorescent ones — can actually trigger migraines and other headaches. Photophobic 12 people are especially prone to light-induced headaches and migraines, but one out of every five people 13 who get migraines are not photophobic.

The big takeaway here is that harsh lighting can be not just an eyesore, but a headache, too. Using the smartphone in the middle of the night stimulates your brain and keeps you awake and active for longer. You stay engaged long after logging out upon checking a notification.

The blue light that your phone emits is an artificial color meant to mimic daylight. It helps you to stay alert during the day, but overexposure to it at night is injurious to the sleep-wake cycle. It can make you experience insomnia at night and drowsiness during the day when you should be working.

Another property of light that affects the human body is color temperature. High color temperature represents warmer and cooler light, which makes the environment relaxing and welcoming. Cooler lights, like the smartphone blue light we have discussed, make the environment more stimulating. Doctors suggest that utilizing sunlight in the daytime and avoiding blue light and other cool colors at bedtime can boost sleep quality.

It can also improve your well-being. Migraine disease affects over 15 percent of Americans. Symptoms of the disorder include a pounding headache, light sensitivity, nausea, and vomiting. While over the counter tablets help to relieve migraines, defining the causes can be challenging.

Many of those who frequently experience the problem find exposure to artificial lighting, especially fluorescent lighting, the top trigger.

Why fluorescent lighting? Fluorescent lights, which are common in workplaces, emit more blue light compared to other light sources. Light sensitivity often results from the Irlen syndrome, which prevents the brain from processing some light wavelengths. It would help if you visited a doctor to confirm whether your migraine headache results from photosensitivity. The over-illumination of traditional fluorescent lights causes a glare that makes some people develop migraines. The eyes strain due to the shine, leading to visual fatigue that evolves into a migraine headache.

If you work in front of a computer screen, you have a high chance of developing a migraine due to over-illumination. The artificial light illuminating the room falls on the screen and other surfaces and bounces back to your eyes. The effect of artificial lighting on productivity at the workplace can be quite significant. Office designers must find ways to achieve the required lighting needs for the job without compromising employee health. Many workers worry about lighting in their workplaces to the extent of complaining about it.

Employers can eradicate artificial lighting problems by increasing natural light penetration in offices. Businesses can find modifying a building to allow more sunlight expensive. However, employee satisfaction associated with well-lit offices improves performance and overall organization throughput. Natural light helps regulate our sleep cycles and is thought to help us feel happier and more optimistic in our daily lives. With shorter days, we are increasingly reliant on artificial light like LED lighting to complete everyday tasks.

So, how exactly does lighting affect our mood? And how can the lighting choices we make help us to create spaces that are conducive to our wellbeing? Much like sunshine can make us feel optimistic, studies have shown that bright, artificial light can make us feel emotions more strongly and even impact our decision-making.

For instance, bright light could help you feel more decisive, but it could also heighten negative feelings of anger or anxiousness. Essentially, while brightly lit spaces can engage us, excessive exposure to brightness may have a negative impact on our emotional wellbeing. Maintaining a healthy balance helps make people feel less stressed and better able to make more rational decisions.