If teenagers spend time in calming colors such as green, blue, or really dimmed light, then they will show more productivity and a happier mood compared to teenagers spending time in bright colors like red and dark blue, because calming colors are proven to reduce stress and improve focus. In contrast, bright colors may strain your eyesight and change moods frequently.

What is mood?   Mood is a temporary, internal state of mind or feeling, such as being in a good, bad, or neutral mood. Unlike intense, short-lived emotions, moods are generally more stable and less intense, lasting for hours or days. They influence how a person thinks, behaves, and perceives the world

Why is knowing about mood important?  Knowing mood is crucial because it acts as an internal guidance system (or GPS), providing vital information about your experiences, needs, and reactions. Understanding your mood—a sustained, often low-intensity emotional state—allows you to manage your mental health, improve relationships, enhance decision-making, and navigate stressful situations more effectively.

How does light affect the brain?  Light affects the brain by regulating circadian rhythms, mood, alertness, and cognitive function through non-image-forming photoreceptors in the retina. Daytime, particularly blue-enriched light, increases alertness, boosts focus, and improves mood by suppressing melatonin and boosting serotonin. Conversely, nighttime light exposure disrupts sleep by suppressing melatonin and can increase the risk of depression.

Circadian Rhythm and Melatonin Melatonin is a crucial neurohormone produced by the pineal gland in response to darkness, acting as the primary signal to the brain and body that it is time for sleep. It affects the human brain by regulating the 24-hour circadian rhythm, enhancing sleep quality, reducing neuroinflammation, and acting as a potent antioxidant that protects against neuronal damage.

Lighting and Academic Performance Classroom lighting is a critical, yet often overlooked, component of education that directly impacts student focus, mood, health, and academic performance. Research indicates that optimized, bright lighting—particularly natural light or full-spectrum LED lighting—can improve student performance, reading speed, and test scores by up to 20-25%.

Gaps in Current Research Current research on the connection between lighting, mood, and productivity indicates a strong, generally positive, association—particularly with natural light—but is limited by methodological challenges and a focus on lab-based settings rather than real-world applications. While it is recognized that light affects circadian rhythms and, by extension, mood and alertness, there is no strong consensus on the exact, optimal "doses" (intensity, spectrum, timing) of light required to maximize performance.

Research Variables

Independent Variable: Specific light color in the room that teenagers are exposed to. Dependent Variable: Changes in morning mood and objective productivity score. Controlled Variables: continuous sleep, similar homework difficulty, same light brightness throughout the process, and no caffeine intake.

Procedure:

1. Select a group of Grade 11 students to participate in the survey.

2. Explain the purpose of the study to participants and ensure their responses will remain anonymous.

3. Prepare a survey that asks students to rate their:

4. Alertness (1–10 scale)

5. Productivity (1–10 scale)

6. Fatigue/sleepiness (1–10 scale)

7. Ask students to reflect on how they feel under two classroom lighting conditions:

8. Dimmed lighting (used during Smartboard instruction)

9. Fully lit classroom lighting

10. Have students complete the survey by rating how they feel in each lighting condition.

11. Collect all completed surveys.

12. Record the data in a spreadsheet (e.g., Excel or Google Sheets).

13. Calculate the average (mean) score for alertness, productivity, and fatigue under each lighting condition.

14. Create bar graphs comparing:

15. Dimmed vs fully lit alertness

16. Dimmed vs fully lit productivity

The results of this study suggest that dim classroom lighting does not significantly reduce students’ perceived productivity and may actually create a more comfortable learning environment for many Grade 11 students. Although 16 out of 25 participants reported experiencing high levels of sleepiness under dim lighting, the majority also reported high focus (17 students), high productivity (16 students), high mental energy (16 students), and high alertness (14 students). Additionally, 22 students reported feeling calm, and 18 students reported low levels of distraction, suggesting that dim lighting may reduce environmental distractions and create a more relaxed classroom atmosphere. When directly comparing productivity to normal lighting, 12 students reported feeling more productive, 7 reported no difference, and only 6 reported feeling less productive. Furthermore, 19 out of 25 students indicated that they prefer dim lighting over bright lighting. These findings suggest that while dim lighting may increase feelings of sleepiness for some students, it does not appear to negatively impact perceived focus, motivation, or overall productivity for the majority. In fact, the calmer environment and reduced visual strain may contribute to improved concentration. However, because this study measured self-reported perceptions rather than actual academic performance, the results reflect students’ opinions rather than measurable achievement outcomes. Overall, the data indicate that dim classroom lighting is generally preferred by students and may support a focused and comfortable learning environment.

The results indicate that environmental lightning impacts mood less than productivity. Although 16 out of 25 students reported better sleep in dimmed lights, the majority of participants claimed high focus, productivity, and mental health. Adding on, the majority of participants described feeling calm and less distracted in dimmed lights, suggesting that reducing the visual intensity may lower your stress and support mental health. When comparing to the bright lightning, nearly half of the participants reported improved productivity, while only some participants declined. This is a pattern that illustrates that mediating factors of mood may lead to a decrease in alertness. However, because the study relied on self survey rather than objective performance, the result was based on subjective experience, not measurable outcomes. Overall data support the conclusion that environmental lightning affects mood, which then reflects on productivity.

Based on our experiment, color strongly affects both a teenager's mood and productivity. Surprisingly, where blue is considered calming, it disrupts sleep. Green efficiently produced the most balanced emotional state and productivity results. The main point is that the impact of calming colors can vary specifically based on individuals' sensitivity to different color exposures and specific environmental factors.

1. Study environment physically: The schools could incorporate and generate a brightness level for the classroom lights for teachers to use them during their classes.
2. Mental health and stress are reduced: Since dimmer lights promote a calm state, these lights can be used for libraries and relaxing rooms in school for students to relieve stress.
3. Future development: This study can help many architects to understand and consider this as a factor to there desighs, this study can also help foundations for deep research in measured outcomes under different lighting.

1. Small evidence - where only 10-15 participants are there\, the results may vary depending on the number of participants; since it is a big world\, a higher number of participants(participant ages grade 10-11) is really important to get accurate results.
2. Individual differences - Many factors can affect independently the response to lighting conditions\, such as stress level\, time of day\, or vision sensitivity.
3. Lack of controlled variables - Depending on the classroom, it may have an effect on mood and focus.
4. No measured evidence of productivity - Without any measured evidence\, the conclusion might vary based on only the observation.
5. Self-based report - If the study relies on self-bias, the participant may have overestimated or underestimated their results and could not go for major results to the real world.

Insightspsychology. (2025, January 31). The science of color: How hues influence feelings. Insights Psychology. https://insightspsychology.org/psychology-of-color-emotional-impact/ Psychology, C. (2025, April 14). Color psychology effects & meaning: Psychological insights. Color Psychology. https://www.colorpsychology.org/ Kendra Cherry, Mse. (2025, November 19). How color psychology affects moods, feelings, and behaviors. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/color-psychology-2795824 Nicola, S. (2024, June 23). What is color psychology? how color affects emotions, behaviors, and Mental Health. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-is-color-psychology Team, S. (n.d.). The psychology of colors - how wall colors affect our mood - samplize blog. The psychology of colors - how wall colors affect our mood - Samplize Blog. https://samplize.com/blogs/posts/psychology-of-colors-how-wall-colors-affect-our-mood

We would like to express our gratitude to the James Fowler students who took time to participate in my survey and provide thoughtful responses. Your participation made this project possible and contributed greatly to the success of my research. I would also like to sincerely thank Mr. Wee and Ms. Malhi for allowing me to conduct my survey in their classroom and for supporting this project. Their cooperation and encouragement made this study possible. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this experiment.