How to Use Led Smart Lighting Colors to Control Your Mood

There are hundreds of ways to improve your mood, from energy drinks and kickboxing to gluten-free diets and meditation. But have you ever considered how lighting affects how you feel?

Retail stores and offices tend to use bright lighting to energize the mind, subconsciously encouraging people to buy and work more, respectively. Similarly, libraries and fine dining restaurants often use softer lighting to help visitors relax and stay awhile. 

As more and more options in energy-efficient LED lighting become available, it's now possible to take advantage of the mood alerting abilities of lighting at home. We bet you'll be surprised to witness the immediate impact on your family's sleep quality, productivity, health, and energy!

How Does Color Affect Mood?

You may view colored lighting as a novelty for holiday decorating and parties, but changing your environment's color can have a significant impact on how you feel and function. 

The practice of chromotherapy, or color therapy, dates back to ancient Egyptian and Chinese cultures, which used color to heal illnesses of the body and mind. Color therapy is still used in alternative medicine. Several modern studies have proven the incredible impact of lighting color on heart rate, circadian rhythms, and overall mood.

While your doctor may not prescribe color therapy when you complain of a sore throat, you're probably being exposed to the powers of chromotherapy just by stepping into his or her office. It's become standard practice for hospitals, jails, restaurants, and retail stores to use colored lighting to encourage better environments and outcomes.

Can Smart Led Lights Change Color?

LED light bulbs are available in cool, warm, solid color and color-changing options. They are available with a wide range of smart home functionality, including smart assistant compatible light bulbs controlled and dimmed individually with a smartphone app.

Colored LED light bulbs work just like regular light bulbs and can be replaced in most lighting fixtures. While they can run a little more expensive than traditional white light bulbs, the benefits of colored LED light bulbs often pay for themselves tenfold.

Prices start as low as $19 per light bulb and increase for bulbs with greater functionality, including WiFi, Bluetooth, warmth, and life length. Here are just a few colored LED light bulbs to get you started:

Phillips Hue

Phillips Hue can be controlled by a smartphone or voice assistant and boasts 16 million color options within a single light bulb. (Who knew there were that many colors?)

LE RGB LED Light Bulb

LE RGB LED Light Bulb is controlled by an included remote control and has 16 unique color choices.

Lumiman Smart WiFi Light Bulb

LUMIMAN can be set to one of 16 million colors with smart assistants, including Alexa and Google Home.

Boomile E26 LED Light Bulb

Boomile E26 LED Light Bulb offers 120 unique colors and dimming options with the included remote control.

LIFX WiFi Smart LED Light Bulb

LIFX WiFi Smart LED Light Bulb is compatible with smart assistants and boasts 16 million colors. 

Keep in mind that some light bulbs may run warmer than others. If you're planning to use them in an enclosed fixture, be sure to choose a colored LED light bulb with a lower temperature.

Using Color Psychology to Promote Moods

Color has an incredible subconscious impact on how we feel, function, and act. Because color perception varies by culture, we recommend choosing LED light bulbs with multiple color options to give you a wider range of possibilities. Use the color suggestions below as a guide, and feel free to experiment until you find the right colors for you and your family. Here are some general color guidelines.

Does Blue Light Affect Mood?

You may have heard recommendations to limit screen time an hour before bed. That's because TVs, smartphones, and tablets emit blue light, and the photoreceptors in the human eye use blue light to control your body's circadian rhythm.

Automating your bedroom lights to turn blue when your alarm clock goes off can help you wake up more easily. Exposure to blue lighting can also help you re-adjust your body's circadian rhythm and avoid jetlag after traveling across time zones.

The color blue also promotes feelings of relaxation, safety, and stability, which makes it an excellent choice for use during daytime naps and meditation. And if you're experiencing a headache, try switching your lighting to blue, as blue chromotherapy is used clinically to treat migraines.

Does Green Light Affect Mood?

Green, the color of nature, has been shown to enhance concentration, learning, and healing. Research conducted by Dr. Harry Sherman found that green lighting "reduces glare and compliments hemoglobin red (the color of blood)," making it a great lighting choice for surgery. The color is commonly used in hospitals to boost the immune system and promote healing. You might try switching your lighting to green when you feel under the weather or when your little one stays homesick.

Greenlight has also been found to improve reading ability and retention, making it an excellent choice for home offices and study time. Pay attention to your child's classroom next time you stop in. You may notice they use green lighting to create a more productive learning environment.

Does Pink Light Affect Mood

Pink is a soft and non-threatening color, often associated with feelings of love and innocence. Used in jails, pink lighting has been shown to decrease aggression among inmates. Pink light can also be an excellent tool for parents dealing with teenage angst or whenever you find yourself needing to cool down from intense feelings.

Does Yellow Light Affect Mood

The sunny yellow color of the sun and spring flowers directly translates to joy and happiness. For this reason, yellow light has been clinically used to treat depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). You might try switching your LED lights to a yellow hue during the dark winter months and when you feel down.

Yellow light falls on the warm side of the color spectrum, promoting relaxation and comfort, and can be a great color option for before bed. It has also been used to improve digestion, which could help deal with heartburn and stomach aches. But just like that extra hot dog during a summer BBQ can put you over the edge, too much yellow light can also have a negative impact. In fact, studies have shown that babies often cry more in rooms painted or lit yellow.

Does Red Light Affect Mood

Have you ever noticed that most fast-food chains use the color red in their logo, packaging, and décor? That's because the color red, according to ColorPsychology.org, "enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, raises blood pressure," and stimulates salivation and increased energy. Subconscious exposure to the color red actually may make you eat more.

Try to use the power of red lighting to your benefit next time you're tired. Before reaching for an energy drink, switch your LED light bulbs to red and do a little stretching to get your blood flowing. Red is also an excellent lighting choice for use in a home gym. Red light is also commonly used to increase desire and fertility and increase melatonin secretion. You might try switching your bedroom lighting to a dim red in the evening to get closer to your partner and achieve better sleep.

Does Purple Light Affect Mood?

In elementary school, we learn how to mix primary colors to create new and exciting colors. Purple is the combination of blue and red; both colors are used to manage the body's circadian rhythm. This powerful color reduces emotional and mental stress and can help you fall asleep and rest easier. Try adjusting your LED light bulbs to a shade of purple after a stressful day while you relax and have a cup of tea.

Does Orange Light Affect Mood?

While not a popular color, orange is a powerful combination of red and yellow that promotes friendship, endurance, enthusiasm, and creativity. This energizing color is an excellent choice for creative writing, crafting, kitchen experiments, and playtime. Orange is also an excellent lighting choice for new babies and their mothers. According to the lighting company TCP, not only will the orange-tinted light help your newborn feel at home, but it also stimulates the production of breast milk. Choosing colored LED light bulbs for your child's nursery allows you to quickly switch colors to soothe your little one.

Use Smart LED Lighting to Your Benefit

Colored light paired with smart technology is a match made in heaven that most homeowners don't yet know about.  

Colored LED light bulbs alone can dramatically impact how you and your family members feel and function. But connected to smart technology, they can be automated and commanded by voice to change colors and dim throughout the day. 

You might automate your bedroom lighting to be dim red in the evenings and blue in the mornings to encourage better sleep. You could also transition your living room from creative orange on weekends to study smart green on school days. The opportunities are endless!

So, we know that smart LED lighting can save you money on your electric bills, year after year—and now, they can enhance your mood too.