Researchers at the UC Davis California Lighting Technology Center are studying how lighting affects stress and emotions, with their findings now beginning to influence designs in cars, hospitals, and homes.
Veronica Then, the digital communications specialist for the center, explained the study on California Tonight. She told Host Edie Lambert the project began when UCD researchers were approached by Toyota to test whether changes in interior lighting could impact the stress levels of people riding in autonomous vehicles.
“The car company and the researchers at our center wanted to see if there was a relationship between lighting and emotions,” Then explained. The team brought in researchers from the Center for Mind and Brain to design the experiment. First, they had to create stress for participants.
They were led into what Then described as a “stress lab,” a dark and unsettling room.
“I had to stand in front of a panel of judges who were just blankly staring at me silently. And I had to come up with the speech on the spot and deliver it under these blinding lights,” she said. “I remember that I was just freaking out, which is the whole purpose of this procedure.”
After their stress levels were documented, participants were exposed to different lighting conditions, including red, blue, green, white and amber. One after another, the participants showed a strong preference for one of the colors, along with physical markers of stress reduction.
“When the room was lit with amber lighting, I definitely felt more calm and relaxed,” said Then. She also explained a theory of why amber lighting has such a strong impact on us. “It’s reminiscent of sunset, so it tells our body that it’s time to wind down and relax.”
The research is already being applied in hospitals in Irvine and Davis.
“At the UC Davis California Tower, which is a hospital that’s currently being built, we’re going to see nighttime amber lighting in patient rooms to help with navigation and to mitigate falls and trips,” Then said. “At the same time, we’re going to see tunable lights in nurse stations to help with their health.”
For nurse stations, the lighting options are tailored to their shifts.
“For nurses who are working night shifts, they would want exposure to bright white light because that promotes wakefulness,” Then said. “And for nurses who are working normal shifts, they might not want to be exposed to white light, so they can choose the amber option.”
Then also shared tips for using lighting to create better environments at home.
“It’s actually pretty easy to implement this in your own home,” she said. “There’s a lot of tunable light bulbs and light fixtures out there. But what you really need to remember is that during the day you would want cool white light to promote wakefulness and towards the night you would want to transition to warm amber light to tell your body that it’s time to get some rest.”
Click here to learn more on this study.
This story was featured as part of our new California Tonight show. It airs Monday-Friday at 7:30 p.m. Watch on KCRA and KSBW.