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The Power of LED Interior Lighting on Mood

LED interior lighting affects mood in two ways. The first is the psychological effects of its color on people. For example, red stimulates physical arousal. It increases the heart rate, stimulates physical action, and triggers impulse eating. For a fast food restaurant that wants customers to eat quickly to make room for more customers, red is a good color for the interior. However, too much bright red will turn off people. The best solution is using subdued shades of red as accent colors. LED lights work well for adding accent lighting to a restaurant interior. Other color choices have different effects, and choosing the right one depends on your particular type of business establishment.

The second way LED lighting affects mood is that it increases alertness and energy levels in much the same way as sunlight. The reason for this is the color components of LED lighting are nearly identical to sunshine. That’s why its overall white color resembles sunlight. However, it lacks the ultraviolet and infrared (heat) components of sunlight. This is why LED lights are used for treating seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is a seasonal depression that afflicts people living in the northernmost latitudes during the winter, when there is little sunlight. LED light treatment is effective because it makes up for this sunlight deficiency.

Other uses of this effect include:

  • Classroom lighting to enhance student performance. Alertness and energy has a positive effect on mental performance.
  • Office lighting for increasing the productivity of professionals and white-collar workers. LED brightness levels are easily adjusted to accommodate the preferences of individual workers.
  • Lighting for manufacturing floors and warehouses. In addition to enhancing performance, the bright white light reduces accidents and injuries.
  • Rest stop interior lighting. Drowsy driving causes accidents. LED lighting combined with caffeine is highly effective in combating driver fatigue.
  • Store lighting. Happy people are more inclined to make purchases. This is why many stores use background music. LED lighting is yet another mood enhancer. In addition, the pure white light shows off the true colors of food products such as fruits and vegetables.