After conducting a series of lab experiments examining the connection between music, mood, and lighting, University of California, Davis-led researchers have determined which combinations of colors and tones best maximize the music listening experience.
The multi-university team behind the study said understanding the connection between sad or happy music and lighting colors and tones could help music artists match the visual aesthetic of their live performances with the emotional intent of the music, improving the overall attendee experience.
The researchers also suggest that designing the lighting tone and color to match the mood could benefit several non-entertainment environments, including pain management facilities and clinical and long-term care settings. The new analysis should also help individuals plan their home’s interior lighting and décor to maximize the music-listening experience.
The Red, White, and Blue Way to Maximize the Music Listening Experience
The research team, which included the study’s lead author, Dongwoo (Jason) Yeom, of Clemson University and co-author Seonghyuk Son, a Ph.D. candidate at Clemson, and Kristina Knowles, affiliate faculty in the School of Music at ASU, where Yeom initiated the study, said some anecdotal evidence suggests particular combinations of dimmer and colored lighting work better with sad music.
However, others, such as brighter colors and lighting, are believed to match the mood of happy music better. Still, the UC Davis-led team noted that few studies have “directly examined” the connection.
According to study co-author Jae Yong Suk, an associate professor in the university’s Department of Design and the director of the California Lighting Technology Center, some live music venues already utilize color-changing LED lighting systems to accent musical performances.
Perhaps surprisingly, the professor also noted that most of these entertainment-oriented venues don’t know which colors are most effective for shaping different emotional responses, “as there is no scientific evidence.”
Experiments Confirm Some Preconceptions and Counter Others
To better understand the potential of lighting to maximize the music-listening experience, the research team used a facility at Arizona State University equipped with a lighting control system that manages 12 LED ‘smart’ lights. Next, the researchers recruited 22 participants and randomly assigned them to different lighting conditions.
For the primary experiments, each participant was exposed to a range of lighting conditions while listening to two types of music. The lighting conditions included blue and red lights and two shades of white (cool and warm), and the songs were separated into happy and sad.
To improve accuracy, the team selected popular music pieces that had been used in previous music and emotion research studies. The researchers of the current study note that the songs chosen had been “reliably rated as either happy or sad” by those previous scientific efforts.
When listening to the selected pieces of music in one of the four lighting conditions, the participants were asked to rate their overall emotional experience. This included rating feelings of positivity and negativity, how well the lighting fit the mood of the music, and their overall “lighting satisfaction.”
When analyzing the results, the team found some expected and unexpected results. For example, happy music elicited more positive responses when paired with warm white light. Conversely, happy music received the lowest ratings when paired with blue lighting.
When the researchers compared responses to sad music, they found that listeners felt blue lighting helped enhance the listening experience. When sad music was paired with red lighting, the reviews switched to overwhelmingly negative. The research team’s support for this last result was surprising, since previous research “pointed to blue wavelengths as stimulating or energizing,” a type of light that often helps people stay alert.
The team noted that cool white lighting was generally considered “visually acceptable.” Still, the cool-white lighting was rated the “least fitting” when paired with happy music.
Matching Light and Music Could Have Entertainment and Clinical Applications
When discussing the potential applications of their work beyond lighting combinations that maximize the music listening experience, the team noted that neutral or cooler lighting tones “might feel emotionally disconnected” when paired with happy or upbeat music.
“Thus, designers should consider not just visual comfort but also the emotional compatibility between lighting and music type,” they explain.
For Yong Suk, who has led previous research exploring the effects of lighting on stress and anxiety, the study’s results help provide music venue planners and people listening to music at home a clearer overall design direction, “so lighting choices can be more intentional and emotionally supportive rather than just aesthetic.”
Yeom said the research also has implications for improving well-being, mood regulation, and even recovery for patients in long-term care settings. Whatever the setting, the findings should help listeners and designers use lighting to maximize the music-listening experience.
“All the findings suggest that matching lighting to music could help create a more calming, energizing, or emotionally supportive experience — whatever the moment calls for,” the researchers said.
The study, “How Can Lighting Enhance Your Perceptual Music Listening Experience?” was published in November in the journal Lighting Design & Application.
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.