How the light in a room can affect your emotions
If you tend to feel more positive on sunny days, and a bit gloomy on rainy days, you’re not alone. New research shows that the intensity of light can affect the intensity of our emotions.
The research, published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, found that the more intense the lighting, the greater a person’s emotions were (both positive and negative).
It even goes as far as people being more optimistic about the stock market on sunnier days. Whereas darker overcast days can tend to lead to issues such as seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D). Interestingly, for some people suffering from depression, sunny days can see them feeling more depressed.
The study used six experiments to examine the link between ambient brightness and emotion. One of these found that the subjects reported increased feelings of warmth in response to exposure to bright light, even when the room temperature remained the same.
Some of the other tests saw participants being asked to rate things such as spiciness of food or the attractiveness of a person under different lighting conditions. The study found that the person’s emotions were more intense if they were under the brighter lighting. For instance they could handle a spicier sauce or they thought that people were more attractive.
For the researchers, the fact that the brighter light made people feel warmer could be due to the light causing their emotions to be heightened.
“We suggest that these effects arise because light underlies perception of heat, and perception of heat can trigger the hot emotional system,” the study noted. “Thus, turning down the light, effortless and unassuming as it may seem, can reduce emotionality in everyday decisions, most of which take place under bright light.”
Have you felt the affects of weather and sunlight on your moods? Share you story with us in the comments below.
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