Effects of Ambient and Display Lighting Color on Risk-Taking Behavior, Perceived Emotional States, and Visual Quality of Indoor Environment

Lighting from architectural fixtures and screens can have impacts beyond visual perception, such as occupants' cognitive functions and emotional states. Despite the ubiquity of electric lighting in most indoor environments and the importance of risk-taking behavior as a decision mechanism, it is surprising that the effect of lighting on risk-taking behavior has been rarely investigated. The few studies that investigated this relationship found conflicting results and did not control brightness, which can have confounding effects. This study explores the influence of chromatic lighting on propensity for risk-taking, emotional states, and judgments of indoor environmental quality (IEQ). In a psychophysical experiment, 28 participants were asked to complete subjective surveys and an objective risk-taking task (balloon analog risk task [BART]) shown on a display under different combinations of chromatic ambient and display lighting conditions (white, red, green, blue). The results suggest that lighting chromaticity does not significantly influence risk-taking behavior, but it can affect subjective evaluations of mood and IEQ. White ambient lighting enhanced perceptions of pleasantness and comfort, and chromatic (non-white) display lighting reduced visual quality (pleasantness, visual clarity, and visual complexity) of the scene. Similarly, white display lighting conditions, especially white ambient plus white display lighting, provided substantially more visual comfort, and slightly more happiness and alertness compared to non-white (red, green) display lighting. Overall, the results underscore that ambient and display lighting can alter subjective judgments but might not have a strong role in acute risk-taking behavior.