How interior lighting impacts mood and emotions.

lighting is an underestimated part of our homes. Not many understands the importance of lighting for a house. Every little part of home decor impacts the look and feel of a home in a drastic manner and so does lighting. Besides having a huge impact on aesthetics and functionality, it can also have profound effects on your mood, emotions, and well being. As the days get shorter and shorter and we approach the darker days of fall and winter, it’s important to emphasize just how important our indoor lighting is.

Psychological and Physiological Effects of Light

• Emotions (both positive and negative) are felt more intensely under bright light.
• Excessive light at night, including electronic media, can create difficulties sleeping and exacerbate sleeping disorders 
• Students and workers are healthier, happier, and more productive when there is more natural light (day lighting). “Day lighting also decreases utility costs and improves the well-being of building occupants

Whether you want to get a good night’s sleep o improve your relationships and productivity at home, an interior lighting change may just be the solution.

Lighting is both an art and a science — it can affect our mood, appetite, and sleep. In order to implement an effective lighting strategy for your home, you will need a professional that fully understands electrical systems and lighting design. Besides the technical knowledge required, the person installing your lighting should also be concerned with mood, aesthetics, safety, and enjoyment.

Research shows that an adequate amount of light improves mood and energy levels, while poor lighting contributes to depression and other deficiencies in the body. The amount and type of lighting directly affect concentration, appetite, mood, and many other aspects of daily life.

The color temperature of light likewise greatly affects the human body. The higher the color temperature, the brighter and cooler the light will be. In this case, 'warm' and 'cold' don't refer to the physical heat of the lamp, but to the tone or color of the light. Warm lights make the environment feel more welcoming and relaxing, while cooler lights make the environment more stimulating - they make us feel more alert, more focused, and can increase productivity levels. It's also believed that blue light reduces levels of the sleep-related hormone melatonin, making us feel more awake. Computers and mobile screens emit a lot of blue light, so that last email check before bed can make our sleep a lot less restful. But when used intelligently, blue light can be ideal for those spaces where the mind needs to work at full speed, such as meeting rooms, industrial kitchens, and even factories, where high concentration is expected.

Yellow tones (at the bottom of the color scale) correspond to dusk and dawn, times when the body is generally more relaxed. This makes a lot of sense if we think that until recently, humans weren't exposed to high-intensity lights at night, but simply to the light of the moon and the fire. Weak, indirect, and warm lighting tends to make environments quieter and people more relaxed. Although this may not be a good choice for a work environment that requires efficiency and productivity, it may be beneficial for a restaurant, a rest area, or a bedroom.