Psychological Effect of Light
It is not out of order at this time to mention the effect of light upon emotions of the human family. Proper illumination is commensurate with the particular functions carried on within the place illuminated. Note the soft light effects of the cathedral and the influence it has on the people who visit the place. Enter a church building with its “dim religious light” and note the calming effect which it has on the assembly Of worshippers. To be sure they have gathered in the place for worship and are in that state of mind which would be expected of those in a revered mood, yet there is no question as to the influence of the surroundings and especially of the lighting. It would be quite out of keeping to have the cathedral as brilliantly lighted as the “Great White Way.” The architecture, the furnishings and the lighting all have a certain influence upon the minds of the individuals.
As the dim, soft light has a quieting influence so the bright, dazzling light has a stimulating effect. This is observed in the lighting of amusement places where the predominating feature of the entertainment is hilarity. The pulse may be made to beat faster, the thoughts turned from the serious things of life to the less serious, and the mind made to desire the activities of the pleasurable things of worldly enjoyment by the peculiar environment and the intensity of the illumination. Or the mind may be soothed into the tranquil moods and the entire being made to surge with emotion, while the mind is directed from the more frivolous subjects to the deepest thoughts of the philosopher with a proper arranging of the surroundings and a soothing and delicate lighting over all. While these things do not bear directly upon the subject of hygiene in the more commonly accepted way, yet they do have a certain bearing upon health and the physiological functions of the body, especially from the standpoint of environmental influence upon the body and its adaptation through the action of Innate Intelligence.