New research shows that bright lights may cause us to experience emotions more intensely and dim ones can help us evaluate issues more rationally. During the study, male participants rated a wide variety of things under different lighting conditions. Those in bright spaces had stronger opinions on everything. The researchers reported: “In the brighter room, participants wanted spicier chicken wing sauce, thought the fictional character was more aggressive, found women more attractive, felt better about positive words and worse about negative words.” The experts suspect that the effect may stem from light being perceived as heat, and the amplifying effect heat has on our emotions. If you notice this technique helps you think more calmly and clearly, consider installing inexpensive dimmers in your home office, bedroom or wherever you do most of your decision making.
