The Effects of Different Coloured Lighting and Ambience on Mood
Abstract
This study was conducted to determine the combined effects of coloured lighting and ambient sound on mood. 48 psychology undergraduates, comprising of 38 females and ten males, took part in this study. This study is a 2x2 between subjects design. The coloured lightings used in this study are blue and yellow combined with the ambient sound of ‘city’ and ‘nature’ whereas mood was measured with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). We discovered that coloured lighting had no significant effect on mood as opposed to our hypothesis. The results from this study showed that only the ambient sound affected participants mood.
The effects of different coloured lighting and ambience on mood. This research aims to discover to what extent the combined effects of coloured lighting and ambient sound affects mood. Not much research has been conducted on the combined effects of colored lighting and ambient sound on mood instead; most researches focused either on lighting or ambient sound. Two types of ambient sound are used in this research. They are “city” ambience and “nature” ambience. By using these two types of sound, we hope to emulate environmental sounds from most cities and natures in a laboratory setting. The types of coloured lighting that are used in this research are yellow and blue. Yellow is often associated with being cheerful and blue is associated with comfort and security (Ballast, 2002; Wexner, 1982, cited in Naz Kaya, 2004), but blue is also shown to have a depressing effect. From a non-scientific point of view, in an interview posted on The New York Times the creator of the television series CSI: New York, Anthony Zuiker claimed that the blue tint used throughout the show caused audiences to feel depressed and as a result, caused the show’s ratings to drop. A research conducted by Vastfjall(2002) to study noise annoyance by exposing the participants to a recording of a hand-held machine saw, showed that the sound affected
This study was conducted to determine the combined effects of coloured lighting and ambient sound on mood. 48 psychology undergraduates, comprising of 38 females and ten males, took part in this study. This study is a 2x2 between subjects design. The coloured lightings used in this study are blue and yellow combined with the ambient sound of ‘city’ and ‘nature’ whereas mood was measured with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). We discovered that coloured lighting had no significant effect on mood as opposed to our hypothesis. The results from this study showed that only the ambient sound affected participants mood.
The effects of different coloured lighting and ambience on mood. This research aims to discover to what extent the combined effects of coloured lighting and ambient sound affects mood. Not much research has been conducted on the combined effects of colored lighting and ambient sound on mood instead; most researches focused either on lighting or ambient sound. Two types of ambient sound are used in this research. They are “city” ambience and “nature” ambience. By using these two types of sound, we hope to emulate environmental sounds from most cities and natures in a laboratory setting. The types of coloured lighting that are used in this research are yellow and blue. Yellow is often associated with being cheerful and blue is associated with comfort and security (Ballast, 2002; Wexner, 1982, cited in Naz Kaya, 2004), but blue is also shown to have a depressing effect. From a non-scientific point of view, in an interview posted on The New York Times the creator of the television series CSI: New York, Anthony Zuiker claimed that the blue tint used throughout the show caused audiences to feel depressed and as a result, caused the show’s ratings to drop. A research conducted by Vastfjall(2002) to study noise annoyance by exposing the participants to a recording of a hand-held machine saw, showed that the sound affected
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