Effects of Color and Lighting Temperature on Mood and Cognitive Performance

Research on the psychological effects of different design elements is important to interior designers and any individuals designing a space. No previous research has analyzed the interaction effects of color and lighting temperatures on mood, heart rate, and cognitive performance. The current study was conducted at Pepperdine University in a 2 x 2 randomized experiment. There were 78 participants aged 18–24 with a mean age of 18.85 (SD = 1.20), including 53 women, 24 men, and 1 who did not indicate their gender. The study evaluated self-reported mood (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule), accuracy and reaction times (Stroop task), creative intelligence (Remote Associates Test), and heart rates (heart rate monitor). Participants completed these tasks in a room with either a warm (red) or cool (blue) background color and completed tasks once in warm lighting and once in cool lighting. We found that color and lighting temperatures had different effects on affect, creative intelligence, reaction times, and accuracy. Negative affect was lower in Warm Lighting x Cool Color and Cool Lighting x Warm Color conditions (p = .046). Accuracy was higher in the Cool Color condition (p = .01) and in the Cool Color x Warm Lighting condition (p = .047). Creative intelligence scores approached significance in being higher in cool than warm lighting (p = .05). No effects were found on heart rates (p = .62). These results can inform designers on how to use the design elements of color and lighting temperatures to promote certain desired psychological effects in a space.