How Lighting Affects Mood and Productivity

Have you ever noticed a dip in your energy levels when you enter a large department store? Do you feel more prepared to focus on your work when you are in a room with lots of windows? Both are an indication of how lighting affects mood and productivity.
How Lighting Affects Mood and Productivity
Different colors, types, and sources of lights can have a huge impact on your ability to focus, as well as your feelings. If you are designing a home office or study room at home, find out how high-end lighting fixtures can help you promote positivity in the space.
Daytime Connections
Humans are naturally more productive during the daytime. This is because we receive a lot of energy from the sun, which provides necessary vitamins and nutrients to our bodies. In order to take advantage of the sun’s energy, it is important to provide your living space with access to plenty of natural daylight.
Large windows and floor-to-ceiling glass walls can bring in plenty of natural light, which will immediately lift spirits and brighten any mood. Nothing can quite replace natural daylight, which is why it is the most powerful source of lighting that you can bring to any space.
Bright Body Cycles
It is natural for the body to be used to brightness during the day. By depriving your body of natural light over extended periods of time, you leave yourself prone to depression as well as other major shifts to your mood. The disruption of your circadian rhythms (healthy sleep-wake cycles) can be the source of a big imbalance in your body.
Along with depression, deprivation of light can lead to conditions such as:
- Inability to focus on daily tasks
- Loss of appetite
- Chronic headaches
- Increased anxiety
- Vitamin deficiency
In order to avoid getting irritable and weak, invest in proper lighting so your body gets the brightness that it needs to feel good throughout the day.
Colors and Temperatures
Specific colors of lights, and their corresponding temperatures, can affect the body in a variety of different ways. For example, the blue light that comes from your phone is an artificial light that is supposed to look like the light of day. But when you look at it at night, it can mess up your sleep cycles.
Warmer lights represent higher temperatures, which naturally feel more inviting and comfortable. Colder lights are blue and white, providing no warmth and therefore no stimulation. It is better to utilize cold lights during the day, and warmer lights at night to avoid insomnia.
Fake Lighting Dangers
More than 15% of people in the United States suffer from migraines, and one of the biggest symptoms of migraines is light sensitivity. The biggest cause of this sensitivity? Fluorescent lights.
Exposure to this type of light can be damaging, causing more frequent headaches and general irritability. This happens especially with those who are employees at grocery stores or large shopping centers. If you are trying to decorate an office with fluorescent lighting that cannot be replaced, you can increase the amount of natural light that comes into the room.
Decorate with the Best Lighting in Mind!
Our interior design experts at A. Rudin know that lighting is one of the most integral aspects of bringing a room together. The right lighting can provide a warm, bright, and inviting space that will encourage concentration and lift people’s moods. The wrong lighting will feel cold and uncomfortable, and it might even cause headaches. It is important to think about the right materials, temperature, and brightness of light fixtures when decorating a home or office space.
Get in touch with our experts to learn more about establishing a lighting source for luxury furniture. For design or installation assistance, our A. Rudin professionals are available at your earliest convenience.