Light Therapy Might Hold the Secret to Altering Our Mood

March 16, 2021 0 By Ash Chauhan

Color, pattern, and duration of light exposure have been shown to significantly affect a person’s state of mind. Artificial light therapy may provide a way for us to alter our mood to our desire.

This past week marked the one-year anniversary of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For many, 2020 was a lost year. Plans put in motion were put on indefinite hold or scrapped altogether. Nothing could be thoughtfully planned, and uncertainty dictated our lives. Depending on where you lived, intermittent and often drastic lockdowns dominated the better part of the year.

A once-in-a-century global pandemic limited our outdoor activities and suppressed whatever gregarious or wanderlust tendencies we would otherwise indulge in. Isolated at home with nowhere to go, we did what was expected of us to flatten the curve: we – reluctantly – stayed in.

As the days bled into weeks and weeks into months, the repetitiveness of the lockdowns only exacerbated an already mentally taxing year wrought with civil and political unrest, economic anxiety, and the unnerving realization of a worsening pandemic. As summer insensibly ended, daylight waned, temperatures dropped, and the literal darkness and indifference of fall and winter lay around the corner for millions. For many, their perception of time had all but dissolved, and their mental health was pushed to the brink.

Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal’s groundbreaking 1984 study described seasonal affective disorder (SAD) as recurrent depression that occurs annually, typically at the same time every year. Often mistaken for the blues, SAD is a form of depression that must be diagnosed properly by a professional healthcare provider. However, the ubiquitous and subtle nature of SAD, especially to those who experience varying degrees of it year after year and do not even know it, must not be ignored. This is especially true of the isolation brought on by this new pandemic era we find ourselves in.

Woman alone at home during lockdown — *The isolation of home lockdowns to combat the pandemic, along with social and political unrest and economic instability, have pushed many to their mental brink.* Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Usually prominent during the darker and colder fall and winter months, and especially widespread during the festive and familial holidays that punctuate the final months of the year, SAD was only intensified in 2020, particularly amongst the 18-35 age group it primarily affects. A recent study showed that the rise of SAD, particularly during the desolate and depressive COVID-19 lockdowns that defined the year, only worsened an already emotionally exhausted populace’s mental state.

An effective remedy for combating such mood disorders has been to use artificial light as an anti-depressant to help remediate this often overlooked and ineffable form of depression. Using light therapy – also known as bright light therapy or phototherapy – Rosenthal states the greater the light exposure by artificial means, the better the psychological outcomes. Studies have shown that manipulation of light color, pattern, and duration of exposure can play an integral role in alleviating many psychological disorders.

Light was something that we needed during the throes of the pandemic, not just in the figurative sense but in the literal sense. We just didn’t know how important and transformative the power of light could be.

When taking a stroll or driving down a street at night, one cannot help but notice the recent craze of varying chromatic expressions of light illuminating and pulsating through residential windows. From urban lofts to suburban homes, recent years have seen the rise in the popularity of color-changing lights.

Man sitting in room alone using light therapy — *Color-changing lights have increased in popularity in recent years*. Photo by Stepan Kulyk on Unsplash

From LED smart bulbs to LED light strips that can emote distinctive patterns of light, the popularity of such lights has become more than just a decorative phenomenon based on current social media trends. Thanks to the bleak lockdowns, these lights have provided an effective escape from the lassitude of pandemic life. Whether on purpose or inadvertent, these lights allow the user to create a mood distinct to their emotional desire.

Woman sitting alone bathed in neon pink light — *Color-changing lights can be manipulated by the user to create certain moods*. Photo by Dương Trần Quốc on Unsplash

To skeptics who see these colored lights as just a scheme to move trendy social media-inspired products, I can attest to their simple psychological power and how light – when manipulated for the right color, intensity, and duration – can be used as an effective remedy for temporal shifts in mood.

Several years ago, an incredibly fun date night with my girlfriend that started on a balmy Saturday evening reluctantly came to an end as 2 AM approached. The SoCal summer night was quiet, the streets deserted, and the air was devoid of congestive vapors and refreshingly crisp. As my girlfriend slightly reclined the passenger seat of my Ford Taurus and nestled herself into a cozy catnap, I rolled down the windows and smoothly drove up and down the hilly Orange County streets to her home in Fullerton.

The traffic lights were not in my favor as I hit one red light after another. As my car idled, so did my gaze on the tranquil streets around me. There was nothing remarkable about these familiar streets. But there was something mysteriously intoxicating about them; I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was that captured my fascination. And then it hit me: the streetlights.

Warm streetlight at night — *A warm streetlight illuminates the pitch-black night*. Photo by Julian Hochgesang on Unsplash

As I took the scenic route through the contemporary suburbs of Orange County, the streetlights that adorned the roads were bright enough to illuminate everything yet subtle enough not to become glaring and unwelcomed. The streets were bathed in a warm, butterscotch glow reminiscent of market lights alongside a nighttime Parisian café.

A pleasant feeling resonated from what would otherwise be dreary streets. The welcoming glow of the streetlights made me feel comforted and at ease, putting me in a sort of trance, enveloping me in a mood and a feeling that I never thought I would be able to experience from such an inconsequential task like driving down a road.

Warm streetlights of Southern California — *Streetlights bathe the Southern California roads a warm color*. Photo by James Hon on Unsplash

This was not my first time driving at night through these streets; however, it was the first time I noticed driving at night through these streets. The warm streetlights that painted the nighttime Fullerton streets an inviting hue conjured up feelings and memories defined by similar amber color schemes: a romantic candlelight dinner, a cozy fire on a rainy evening, and the subtle comforts of a childhood nightlight. These were just some of the splendid memories invoked by a simple tint of light.

Warm lights of the Eiffel Tower — *Various hues and intensities of warm light are used to illuminate numerous places from around the world. Warm light often invokes inviting feelings of comfort and relaxation*. (Clockwise from top right) Photo by Donny Jiang on Unsplash; Photo by Stefan Pasch on Unsplash; Photo by DNK.PHOTO on Unsplash; Photo by Harsh on Unsplash

Warm lights of Murray's restaurant — *Various hues and intensities of warm light are used to illuminate numerous places from around the world. Warm light often invokes inviting feelings of comfort and relaxation*. (Clockwise from top right) Photo by Donny Jiang on Unsplash; Photo by Stefan Pasch on Unsplash; Photo by DNK.PHOTO on Unsplash; Photo by Harsh on Unsplash

I finally realized why I hated driving back home to neighboring Los Angeles County so much. My neck of the woods was more industrial and settled. Unlike the uniform glow of the comfortingly warm Orange County streetlights, especially those in Fullerton, the part of town I lived in was luminously dry. Menacing patches of darkness smothered numerous lightless neighborhoods, warm streetlights were intermittent and antiquated, and the streets were mostly dominated by the sterility of blinding white lights often utilized for security over any aesthetic appeal.

These unwelcoming bright white lights reminded me of places that I did not want to be, conjuring up memories I wished to forget. They reminded me of the stark lights on display at an auto mechanic shop after a sudden and costly breakdown, or the scrutiny of examination lights that welcomed my sick mother on yet another hospital visit, or the nightmarish spotlights of a police helicopter illuminating yet another nighttime traffic accident.

From the coziness of the warm lights that greeted my girlfriend’s trek home to the garish white lights that greeted my trek home, these fluctuations in light became an emotional trigger for me, subconsciously altering my immediate mood. I couldn’t properly understand it at the time, but I found myself yearning to come home to the warm, comforting lights of Fullerton and the lovely memories they invoked. Although the effects for me were understated, the power of these warm lights was no deception – this was the most basic form of light therapy in action.

Bright white lights illuminating an alley — Bright white lights illuminate an alleyway (left), while warm white lights illuminate a cornfield (right). The stark difference between the glaring bright white lights that are often used for security in urban environments and the warm white lights that are aesthetically pleasing and produce an inviting feeling in suburban environments, provide an example of the power of light to alter and create certain moods. Photo by Harrison Haines from Pexels (left); Photo by Steven Aguilar on Unsplash (right)

Warm lights illuminating a cornfield — Bright white lights illuminate an alleyway (left), while warm white lights illuminate a cornfield (right). The stark difference between the glaring bright white lights that are often used for security in urban environments and the warm white lights that are aesthetically pleasing and produce an inviting feeling in suburban environments, provide an example of the power of light to alter and create certain moods. Photo by Harrison Haines from Pexels (left); Photo by Steven Aguilar on Unsplash (right)

Enter 2020 and the austere lockdowns to combat COVID-19. One evening I noticed a neighbor’s window bathed in fluctuating light that cycled through various color schemes until that familiar warm amber glow triggered the memory of me and my then girlfriend’s date night more than a decade ago. Thoughtful memories of a time pre-pandemic came flooding back. Was it truly this easy to invoke sentiments and change one’s mood at the literal glance of light? Was the color of light this effective? I became curious.

I thought these color-changing lights were nothing more than a recent social media phenomenon that I was being suckered into. But my decision to purchase these lights wasn’t based on being like one of the cool kids on Tik Tok or mimicking a Twitch streamer’s aesthetic for my room. This was about using the therapeutic effects of light to make up for a world on the brink of self-immolation and escape into pre-pandemic normalcy anytime I pleased. Much more than a pandemic-era product, this was something I could use anytime I pleased to create any mood I wanted. And that is what I did when I purchased a pair of app-controlled LED color-changing smart bulbs for my bedroom lamps. It turned out to be one of the most worthwhile purchases I have ever made.

The popularity of color-changing light bulbs has seen a boom in the types of bulbs available for purchase in recent years. Smart Home Solver/YOUTUBE

Testing out the app, I toyed with the multitude of hues and patterns and intensities these lights would display, the colors and combinations endless. From brilliant white light to soft white light to coastal blue, romantic sienna, menacing red, serene lilac, revitalizing seafoam green, and of course, warm and cozy amber, these were just some of the moods each color conjured up for me. The epiphany I experienced that night years ago driving on the streets of Fullerton was now mine to control with a few swipes of a mobile app. What a time to be alive.

Smart bulbs – and the endless colors and patterns of light they generate – allow the user to employ the simplest means of light therapy. These lights invoke memories of places unique to each user, altering their immediate mood and emotional state. (Clockwise from top right) Photo by Matthias Cooper from Pexels; Photo by Oleg Magni from Pexels; Photo by Oussama Elhaidi from Pexels; Photo by Oussama Elhaidi from Pexels

Unlike taking a prescription drug, the effects of this type of light therapy are psychological rather than biological. To some, the colors that traditionally motivate and uplift could conversely dampen and discourage. But the qualitative results remain the same: Something as simple as a luminous hue can alter one’s immediate temperament and possibly one’s outlook on life.

Red light therapy — The bright red light that bathes the woman on the left might invoke feelings of danger and aggression to some or desire and confidence to others. Similarly, the somber blue light that envelopes the man on the right might invoke feelings of passiveness and depression to some or peace and security to others. What emotions are invoked by certain light colors are wholly unique to the individual experiencing them. Photo by Pablo Padilla on Unsplash (right); Photo by Kaylee Eden on Unsplash (left)

Purple light therapy — The bright red light that bathes the woman on the left might invoke feelings of danger and aggression to some or desire and confidence to others. Similarly, the somber blue light that envelopes the man on the right might invoke feelings of passiveness and depression to some or peace and security to others. What emotions are invoked by certain light colors are wholly unique to the individual experiencing them. Photo by Pablo Padilla on Unsplash (right); Photo by Kaylee Eden on Unsplash (left)

My use of these lights was based on a curiosity deepened by memories about the immediate and transformative powers of light on my mood. If warm streetlights were able to alter my mood, I could only imagine the effects of light on those who use it for therapeutic means.

I do not suffer from depression or any mental health issues. However, there are those who do, and light therapy can be a possible remedy for them. Recent studies have only added to Rosenthal’s initial findings on light as a therapeutic means for SAD. When coupled with anti-depressants, light therapy can be used as a preventive measure for those who suffer from seasonal and non-seasonal depression.

The use of light therapy to treat wide-ranging mental health issues has only increased in recent years. Studies touting the benefits of light therapy for the treatment of subthreshold depression, bipolar disorders, and preventing co-morbidities for youth afflicted with ADHD are just some examples of the efficacy of light therapy, the applications of which are as striking as the lights themselves.

And with this week ushering in daylight saving time causing us to lose an hour of sleep, the circadian rhythms that define our biological clocks might need resetting as well, something that light therapy can also help to remediate.

Lonely woman bathed in red light therapy HEADER — *The use of light therapy for the treatment of wide-ranging health issues has only increased in recent years*. Photo by Maksim Istomin on Unsplash

This time last year, the world quite literally stopped and was put into unspecified stasis, the likes of which we will hopefully never experience again. With a new administration focused on ending the COVID-19 pandemic, several viable vaccines already approved with more in the pipeline, mass vaccinations already underway, and the lifting of lockdowns and the gradual easing of social restrictions, we can now allow ourselves to indulge in a semblance of hope, knowing that there might be an end in sight to this pandemic.

Three friends enjoying time an evening at dusk — *The gradual lifting of lockdowns across the country has given many hope to return to a semblance of pre-pandemic life one day*. Photo by Levi Guzman on Unsplash

With the darkness of fall and winter now officially behind us thanks to daylight saving time, we look forward to the long, bright days of spring and summer and the joys of being bathed in the sun together with friends and family. And if that time does not come immediately, or if such instances are not an option, a little bit of artificial light might offer an appealing alternative.

Allowing one to create unique settings with the flick of a switch or the swipe of an app and alter their mood any time of year within the comfort of their home will have to suffice for some. But whatever the means, be it real or artificial, and after all we have been through in a tremendously vexing year, we can all use a little bit of light in our lives.