A lot of us don’t put much thought into how lights can affect our mood and our emotional well-being. However, you need to know the scientific explanations why we tend to feel bad-tempered when the bright lights are on and inclined to feel more relaxed when lights are turned down low. Indeed, the various intensity and types of light have a real effect on how we think and feel.
That’s why it will do you good if you know how lights can interfere with our emotions and thoughts in this manner. So here are the ways and the scientific explanations about it. Take some time and take a read!
1. Lights Can Have Impact on Our Appetite
Studies show that light has an impact on how we crave for food and how we perceive flavors. Typically, we tend to munch our food slower when we are eating in restaurants that have dim lights.
It also shows that our disposition to eat unhealthy foods increases when we eat in dark places because we think less about our food selection. Take your cue from the famous fast food joints, their interiors have dim lightings which encourage for customers to order and eat more.
2. Natural Light Provides Us a Happy Disposition
If you go outside and bask in the sun, it is likely that you will be happier and attain a more sunny disposition. A study concludes that people in work environments with an open window tend to sleep more at night, exercise more, and have healthy emotional well-being.
It is because when we expose ourselves more to sunlight, our natural body clock will be more precise, helping us know when to feel happy and sleepy. Natural light also shows to help minimize our depressive symptoms. In fact, with the help of light therapy, we can now reduce the symptoms of depression.
ALSO READ:- Your Natural Therapeutic Provider: The Benefits of Flowers to your Mental Health
3. Blue Light Can Make You Feel Energized
Increased exposure to blue light during daytime can increase our energy levels and make us more perceptive. There was a recent study on how blue lights affect us, and researchers found that subjects who get more exposure to sunlight tend to be more energetic and productive.
The participants were able to accomplish their tasks faster and with more accuracy than those who didn’t get blue light exposure.
4. Blue Light Can Disturb Our Sleep Pattern
While blue light can be beneficial to us by providing us the required energy during the day, there is a downside to it when the exposure occurs at night. Blue light from our modern gadgets such as smartphones can be a hindrance to sleep because it suppresses the production of the sleep-inducing hormone called melatonin in our body.
It is no wonder that sleep problems are common to us who use laptops and smartphones during the night. When we expose ourselves to blue light before we go to bed, there is a great chance that we will have difficulty sleeping. So it is advisable that we stay away from using gadgets when it’s bedtime.
For you to sleep soundly at night, you need to have lights with dimmers for you to control the light’s brightness. You can look for dimmer lights in sites like Black Mango for that purpose.
5. Bright Lights Intensify Our Emotions
Yes, bright lights can heighten both our positive and negative emotions. According to a 2014 study, participants exposed to bright lights display heightened emotions when asked to assess a series of negative and positive situations.
They showed stronger judgments about these situations than those subjects who were placed in a dimly lit room. Thus, when you’re feeling emotional, it’s a wise decision to steer clear of dim areas as they will only trigger your emotional tendencies.
SEE ALSO:- 5 Wonderful Ways Crying Benefits Your Health
Takeaway
Lights is an integral part of our lives because it helps us do the tasks that we need to accomplish within the day. However, we think little of how lights can affect our mood and emotional well-being. It is essential that we know about this aspect for us to understand and better utilize lights to our advantage.
AUTHOR’S BIO:
Ivan Palen is an aspiring blogger and a health enthusiast. He loves to write and read articles regarding health and fitness in this modern world. During his free time, Ivan enjoys playing basketball with his officemates.
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Wow, I didn’t know about the majority of this. It was really interesting to learn, especially how it can effect different things
This is such an interesting post! It may surprise a lot of people to realise how much of an effect different forms of lighting can have on our emotional health and well being!
wow! I have never though lightening the room might mean so much! i have to rethink my home and read more on the subject
I have never gone to a dimly lit fast food joint. There’s a great deal of science to support light thx for seasonal affective disorder.
Very interesting point of view. I'd like to add that even though some places are guilty of having dim lights for more orders, in some cases customers might find the lack of light uncomfortable and thus look for another place to eat. Anyhow, that's just a random tidbit. Light is right!
I can definitely speak from experience as to how lights can effect our mood and health. I love having more natural light in a room — it makes me feel happier and (no pun intended) lighter!
Oh wow this is a very informative post. I had no idea that light could impact the way we crave food. That's very interesting to me. Thanks for sharing this.
I didn't know about blue light being bad for deep sleep patterns. My pc mouse glows blue and fades and brightens during the night (annoyingly no off switch)I may start covering it up when I go to bed as I sleep terribly!
What an informative post! I had no idea that lights can have so much impact on our health and mood!
This is so true. I appreciate the reminder about how light affects so much of our day and night. I’ve had a lot of issues with falling asleep and once I removed the blue light, it literally changed my ability to sleep. And my next issue is eating when I’m in the darkness. Such a good point, and makes so much sense. I’ll definitely remember for tomorrow’s midnight cravings! Ha!
Interesting post to read. I have no idea that lights have so much affect in our mood and health.
I really enjoyed this post, it was so interesting to find out all the different way light affects our mood and eating habits! So informative indeed.
I concur. Light definitely affects our mood and I believe that being outdoors in the natural light is the best for us 🙂
This is such an interesting post, I love the compilation of all the different kinds of lights and how they effect us. Natural light is what makes me and my mood happy.
I didn't know there's so many "information" behind lights… I'm feeling rather down recently and I might try this to see if it helps me!
To think about it, using lights to affect mood has actually been used in films and movies since coloured movie times…. You know how green and red make one feel scared etc… Haha, not sure if this is relevant!
Very interesting topic. I loved to read. I love sunlight! It really makes me happy.