Welcome back to another episode of My Weird Prompts. I am Corn, and I am joined as always by my brother, Herman Poppleberry. It is February twenty-fifth, twenty-twenty-six, and we are diving into a topic that has quite literally changed the way I look at my own living room.
Hello, hello. It is great to be here. I have been looking forward to this one because the topic is something I have been reading about quite a bit lately, especially as more research comes out about how our environments shape our cognitive states. We are living in an era where we can control every Kelvin and every lumen in our homes with a swipe on a smartphone, but most of us are still using lighting like it is the nineteen-fifties.
It is a fascinating area. And we have a bit of a special treat today. Usually, we get our prompts from our friend Daniel, but this time, the prompt actually comes from Daniel's wife, Hannah. We know Hannah well, of course, and she is right there in Jerusalem with Daniel and their son Ezra.
That is right. Hannah sent us a really thoughtful question about something she has been noticing in their home. They have been experimenting with red, green, and blue lighting—the classic R-G-B setup—and she is curious about the actual science behind how different colors affect our psyche and our mental energy.
Specifically, she mentioned that while some sources, like artificial intelligence assistants, claim blue is the most calming color, she has found red light to be incredibly soothing. But then she hears these conflicting reports that red is supposed to be stimulating or even aggressive. So, she wants us to dig into the evidence. Is red stimulating? Is blue relaxing? Or is there something more complex going on under the surface?
It is such a great observation because it highlights a major disconnect between popular color psychology and the actual biological effects of light on the human brain. We often hear that red means stop or danger or passion, while blue means calm or water or sky. But when you look at the neurobiology, those associations do not always hold up in the way people expect. In fact, in many cases, the biology says the exact opposite of the psychology.
I remember we touched on this a bit in episode seven hundred thirty-six when we talked about the red light revolution in city planning. But today we are going deeper into the interior of the home and the interior of the mind. Herman, where do we even begin with this? Is there a biological baseline for how we perceive these colors?
We have to start with the hardware, meaning the cells in our eyes. For over a century, we thought we had the eye figured out. Most people know about rods, which handle low-light vision, and cones, which help us see color and fine detail. But about twenty-four years ago, right at the start of the millennium, researchers discovered a third type of photoreceptor. These are called intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells. We usually just call them i-p-R-G-Cs.
Right, and these are the cells that are most sensitive to blue light, correct?
These cells are not for seeing images. You could be functionally blind in terms of rods and cones and still have working i-p-R-G-Cs. Their job is specifically to detect the presence of light to regulate our internal clocks. They contain a photopigment called melanopsin, which is most reactive to wavelengths in the blue part of the spectrum, specifically around four hundred eighty nanometers. When these cells detect blue light, they send a direct signal to the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the brain—the S-C-N—telling it to suppress melatonin production and increase alertness. So, biologically speaking, blue light is a powerful signal for arousal, wakefulness, and cortisol production.
This is where the confusion starts, right? Because if blue light is biologically arousing, why does everyone say it is the most calming color? If you ask a room full of people what color makes them feel relaxed, a huge percentage will say blue. Even the A-I assistants Hannah mentioned seem to double down on this.
That is the divide between what we call top-down and bottom-up processing. Top-down processing is about your associations, your culture, and your personal history. You look at blue and think of a clear sky or a still ocean. Those are culturally and personally relaxing concepts. We have been conditioned to see blue as "cool" and "tranquil." So, psychologically, you feel calm. But bottom-up processing is the raw biological signal. Your eye sees the blue photons, the melanopsin reacts, and your brain thinks it is ten o'clock in the morning and time to be productive. It is a physiological "go" signal.
So Hannah's experience with Ezra is interesting. She mentioned that when Ezra was being a bit fussy, they switched the light to blue, and he calmed down. Do you think that was a psychological response or something else?
It is hard to say with infants because their visual systems and circadian rhythms are still developing. But for a young child, a shift in lighting can simply be a novel sensory input that captures their attention. However, for adults, if you sit in a room with bright blue light late at night, you might feel mentally calm because you like the color, but your body is actually being pushed into a state of physiological alertness. Your heart rate might stay slightly higher, and your core body temperature won't drop as quickly as it should for sleep. It is like drinking a cup of coffee while listening to spa music. The music is relaxing, but the caffeine is still doing its job.
Now let's talk about red. Hannah says she finds red light incredibly soothing, which contradicts the common trope that red is stimulating. In episode six hundred eighty-eight, we talked about focus and crashes, and red light often comes up as a way to maintain focus without the jittery energy of blue light. What is the deal with red?
Red light is at the opposite end of the visible spectrum. It has longer wavelengths, generally between six hundred twenty and seven hundred fifty nanometers. Because the wavelengths are longer, the photons actually carry less energy than blue photons. Biologically, red light has almost zero effect on the melanopsin system. It does not suppress melatonin. It does not tell your brain it is morning.
So, in a sense, red light is calming because it is the absence of a wake-up call?
Precisely. From a circadian perspective, red light is the closest thing to darkness while still being able to see. That is why Hannah finds it soothing. Her body is allowed to move into its natural evening state without being interrupted by the high-energy blue wavelengths that most modern light bulbs and screens emit. The idea that red is stimulating is mostly a psychological association. We see red and think of fire, blood, or stop signs. It is a high-alert color in our cultural lexicon—what we call "avoidance motivation"—but biologically, it is very gentle on our internal clock.
That is a fascinating distinction. It is almost like we have been told a story about colors that is the exact opposite of what our cells are actually doing. But I have also heard that red light can improve certain types of cognitive performance. Is there any truth to that?
There is some really interesting research, particularly a famous study from the University of Rochester by Ravi Mehta and Rui Juliet Zhu. They looked at how red versus blue affects focus. They found that red can actually enhance performance on detail-oriented tasks, like proofreading or memory retrieval. The theory is that the psychological association with danger or mistakes makes us more vigilant. So, you are not biologically stimulated in a jittery way, but you are psychologically primed to be careful.
So, if I am working on a complex spreadsheet, red might be better than blue?
Potentially, yes. Blue light, on the other hand, has been shown to improve creative brainstorming and what we call divergent thinking. It makes you feel like you are in an open space, like under a big blue sky. It encourages "approach motivation," which is about exploration and risk-taking. But for tasks that require precision and avoiding errors, red might give you that slight edge of caution.
I want to go back to the idea of mental energy. Hannah mentioned the effect of these colors on the psyche. We have talked about the biological side, but how do these colors actually shift our mood over a longer period? Like, if you lived in a room that was entirely one color, what does the evidence say about the long-term psychological impact?
That gets into the realm of environmental psychology and neuro-architecture, which we explored a bit in episode six hundred thirty-eight. There was a famous study involving a specific shade of pink, often called Baker-Miller Pink or P-six-one-eight. The theory, popularized in the late nineteen-seventies by Alexander Schauss, was that this color could actually reduce aggressive behavior in prisons and holding cells. For a while, it was a huge trend. But later studies found that the effect was temporary. Once people got used to the color, the calming effect wore off, and in some cases, people actually became more agitated because the color felt oppressive and inescapable.
That makes sense. Our brains are designed to seek contrast and variety. If you are stuck in a monochromatic environment, your brain might start to crave the missing parts of the spectrum. It is like how we talked about social satiety in episode eight hundred twenty-two. We need a balance.
And that brings us to the concept of chromatic adaptation. Our brains are incredibly good at filtering out a constant color to try and find a neutral point. If you stay in a red room long enough, your brain starts to desensitize to the red and becomes hyper-sensitive to green, which is its opposite. This is why when you step out of a red-lit room into a white-lit room, everything looks strangely green for a few minutes. It is called a "negative afterimage" on a grand scale.
So, for someone like Hannah who is using R-G-B lighting at home, the best way to manage mental energy might not be to pick one color and stay there, but to use color as a transition tool?
That is exactly how I would suggest using it. Think of it like a signal system for your day. In the morning, you want that high-energy blue and white light to kickstart your system. It is like a metronome for your body, setting the pace for the day. Then, as you move into the evening, you want to gradually shift toward the warmer, redder end of the spectrum.
Dorothy: Herman? Herman, bubbeleh, are you there?
Oh, Mum, I am actually in the middle of recording the show right now.
Dorothy: I know, I know, I am so sorry to interrupt your big important talk. I just wanted to remind you that I left a nice container of chicken soup by your front door. It is in the blue Tupperware, so make sure you give that one back to me because the lid on the red one doesn't fit right anymore.
Hi Dorothy! Hope the soup is as good as always!
Dorothy: Hello Corn! It is delicious, I put extra dill in it just for him. Anyway, Herman, don't forget the soup, and don't let it sit out too long. Love you, sweetheart!
Thanks, Mum. I will get it as soon as we are done. Love you too. Bye.
Well, there you go. Even Dorothy has opinions on red versus blue, at least when it comes to Tupperware.
Honestly, she is not wrong about those lids. The blue ones really do seal better. Anyway, where were we?
We were talking about using color as a transition tool for mental energy. You mentioned the morning and evening, but what about the middle of the day? If I am hitting a mid-afternoon slump, is there a color that can pull me out of it?
That is a great question. Research into the Kruithof curve suggests that our comfort level with different colors of light depends on how bright the light is. When light is dim, we prefer warmer, reddish tones. It feels cozy. But when light is very bright, we actually prefer cooler, bluer tones. If you are feeling sluggish in the afternoon, the best thing you can do is not just change the color, but increase the intensity of cool-white or blue-rich light.
So, it is the combination of color and brightness?
Yes. If you have a dim blue light, it can actually feel quite eerie or depressing. That is why some people find blue light in hospitals or parking lots to be unsettling. It feels unnatural. But a bright blue light feels like a sunny day. Conversely, a very bright red light can feel aggressive and alarming, like a warning signal. But a dim red light feels like a fireplace or a sunset. It is all about the context of intensity.
This brings up an interesting point about Hannah's experiment. She said she found red light soothing, and Daniel mentioned that in the town of Mitzpe Ramon, they use red streetlights to protect the dark sky for astronomers. I wonder if there is a connection there between the lack of light pollution and our mental state.
There absolutely is. Mitzpe Ramon is an International Dark Sky Park, and they use those low-wavelength amber and red lights because they don't scatter in the atmosphere as much as blue light does. When we reduce the overall light pollution, especially the blue-rich light that scatters so easily, we allow our brains to engage with the natural rhythms of the night. In episode seven hundred thirty-six, we discussed how excessive artificial light at night is linked to increased anxiety and sleep disorders. By using red light, whether in a town like Mitzpe Ramon or in a living room in Jerusalem, you are essentially telling your nervous system that it is safe to power down.
So, let's address the specific contention Hannah mentioned. ChatGPT told her blue is the most relaxing. Is the A-I just wrong, or is it just looking at a different data set?
The A-I is likely reflecting the most common survey results in human psychology. If you ask a million people what color they associate with relaxation, the majority will say blue. The A-I is reporting on cultural associations and linguistic patterns. But if you asked a biologist what wavelength is most relaxing to the human circadian system, they would say red or amber. The A-I is talking about how we feel about color, while the science is talking about what color does to our cells. It is the difference between "I like the color blue" and "Blue light is hitting my melanopsin receptors and stopping my brain from sleeping."
It is a classic case of the difference between subjective experience and objective physiology. But if Hannah feels relaxed in red light, and Ezra calmed down in blue light, does that mean we should just trust our intuition over the guidelines?
To an extent, yes. We have talked before, especially in episode eight hundred twenty-two, about how individual needs for connection and stimulation vary. Some people might have a higher sensitivity to certain wavelengths. There is also the factor of eye color and age. People with lighter-colored eyes—blue or green—are often more sensitive to light intensity because they have less pigment to absorb the light.
And age matters too, right?
Massively. As we age, our lenses naturally yellow, which acts as a filter for blue light. So, a sixty-year-old and a twenty-year-old will actually perceive the same R-G-B light bulb differently. The sixty-year-old is getting less of that blue "wake-up" signal than the twenty-year-old. This is why older adults sometimes struggle with their sleep-wake cycles; their eyes aren't letting in enough blue light during the day to set the clock.
That is something I hadn't considered. The physical structure of our eyes changes how we receive these signals. So, for Hannah and Daniel, who are young and have a small child, their sensitivity is likely quite high.
And for Ezra, whose eyes are very clear and whose brain is a sponge for sensory input, even a small amount of blue light is a massive signal. For an adult, that same blue light might feel like a gentle mental lift, but for a baby, it could be overwhelming or, as Hannah saw, it could be a sudden focus-shifter that breaks a crying spell. It is like a reset button for his attention.
I want to talk about green for a second, because we haven't touched on it much. Hannah mentioned they are experimenting with R-G-B, and green is that middle point. What does the research say about green and mental energy?
Green is a very special case. It sits right in the middle of the visible spectrum, around five hundred fifty nanometers. Our eyes are actually most sensitive to green light in terms of detecting detail. This is an evolutionary trait. Being able to distinguish between different shades of green was vital for finding food or spotting predators in a forest.
So, does green light have a specific psychological effect?
There is a lot of research into what we call "green exercise" or the "biophilia effect." Being in green spaces has been shown to lower cortisol levels and improve mood significantly. But here is the kicker: artificial green light doesn't always have the same effect. If you turn an R-G-B bulb to pure green, it can actually look quite sickly or unnatural. However, there is some groundbreaking research from the University of Arizona, led by Doctor Mohab Ibrahim, showing that exposure to specific green L-E-D light can actually reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines and chronic pain.
Wait, green light for pain management? How does that work?
They are still figuring out the exact pathway, but it seems to involve the opioid system in the brain. It is not just "feeling better" because you like the color; it is a measurable reduction in pain signaling. So, for mental energy, green might be the "healing" color, whereas blue is the "alertness" color and red is the "rest" color.
So, it is less about the single wavelength and more about the complexity and the natural context of the color.
Precisely. This is a common mistake in color psychology. We try to isolate one color and say, red does this, blue does that. But in nature, we never see just one wavelength. We see a symphony of colors. Even a blue sky has a range of frequencies. A fire has reds, oranges, and yellows. Our brains are designed to process these complex palettes. When we use an R-G-B bulb to blast a room with one pure frequency, it is a very unnatural stimulus for the brain.
That might be why Hannah finds the orangey-red light so pleasant. It is probably closer to the spectral output of a candle or a sunset than a pure, laboratory-grade red laser would be.
Spot on. That warmer, broader spectrum is much more aligned with our evolutionary history. For hundreds of thousands of years, the only light we had after sunset was the glow of a fire. That light is rich in red and infrared wavelengths and almost entirely devoid of blue. Our bodies have learned to interpret that specific spectral mix as a signal for safety, community, and rest.
I want to dive deeper into something you mentioned earlier—red light and mitochondria. You said it wasn't just in her head, but in her cells. Can you explain that?
This is one of the most exciting areas of photobiology right now. It is called photobiomodulation. There is evidence that long-wavelength light, specifically in the deep red and near-infrared range—around six hundred seventy nanometers—can actually penetrate our tissues and be absorbed by a protein in our mitochondria called cytochrome c oxidase.
And what does that protein do?
It is a key part of the electron transport chain, which is how our cells produce A-T-P, or cellular energy. Essentially, red light can help "unstick" the cellular machinery, making energy production more efficient. There was a study from University College London showing that just three minutes of deep red light exposure in the morning could significantly improve declining eyesight in people over forty by re-energizing the mitochondria in their retinal cells.
That is incredible. So, Hannah might literally be giving her cells a little energy boost while she feels like she is relaxing. It is like a wireless charger for your mitochondria.
In a way, yes! It is a different kind of "mental energy." It is not the "I am wide awake and ready to work" energy of blue light. It is more like "my cells are functioning efficiently and I feel restored" energy. It is the difference between a stimulant and a nutrient.
So, if we were to give Hannah some practical takeaways based on this, what would they be? How should she and Daniel be using their lighting to optimize their mental energy?
First, I would say trust your body over the A-I's generalities. If red light makes you feel calm and helps Ezra sleep, use it. The biological evidence supports red light as the least disruptive to your sleep-wake cycle. Second, use blue light strategically. It is a powerful tool for alertness. If you need to stay awake to finish some work or if you are feeling a bit of seasonal depression during a cloudy week, bright blue-rich light in the morning is your best friend.
And what about the contradictory reports she heard about red being stimulating?
I would tell her to realize that is mostly a psychological framing. If you are in a high-stress situation, red light might heighten your sense of urgency because of cultural associations. But if you are in your own home, in a safe environment, your body will respond to the long wavelengths by allowing your melatonin to rise naturally. It is about the "set and setting," just as much as the color itself.
I think that is a really important point. The context defines the response. If I see a red light on my car's dashboard, I am stimulated and stressed. If I see a red light in my living room while I am reading a book, I am relaxed. The color hasn't changed, but my interpretation of it has.
And we should also mention that for R-G-B lighting, the "quality" of the color matters. Many cheap R-G-B strips produce a very narrow spike of color. If you can, look for "full-spectrum" smart bulbs that can mimic the actual curve of a sunset. They are much easier on the eyes over long periods.
We have covered a lot of ground here, from the i-p-R-G-Cs in our eyes to the cultural associations of the sky and the sea, and even the cellular energy in our mitochondria. It seems like the big takeaway is that color is not just a visual experience. It is a biological signal that acts like a volume knob for our internal systems.
That is a great way to put it. And I think it is important for everyone to experiment like Hannah is doing. Our modern world is so flooded with a very specific, very narrow type of lighting—mostly that high-intensity cool white that we see in offices and grocery stores. That light is designed for one thing: maximum visibility at minimum cost. It is not designed for human health. Taking control of your own light environment is one of the most effective ways to manage your mental energy.
It reminds me of our discussion in episode six hundred sixteen about sleep timing. It is not just how much you sleep, but when you sleep and how you prepare for it. Lighting is a huge part of that preparation. If you are blasting your eyes with blue light until eleven o'clock at night, you are essentially telling your brain it is noon, and then you are surprised when you can't fall asleep at eleven-thirty.
If you can create a "sunset" inside your home an hour before you actually want to go to bed—shifting to those dim reds and ambers—you are giving your brain a huge head start. You are allowing the natural chemical processes of sleep to begin while you are still finishing your book or folding laundry.
So, before we wrap up, Herman, do you have any final thoughts on the red versus blue debate for Hannah?
I would say, don't feel like you have to choose one. Use the whole rainbow, but use it with intention. Use blue for the start of your day and for creative bursts. Use green for restoration and a sense of connection to nature, especially if you have a headache or feel stressed. And use red as your gateway to rest. And if Ezra responds well to a certain color, pay attention to that. Children are often more in tune with these basic biological signals than we are because they haven't built up as many layers of cultural baggage yet. They don't know that red is supposed to mean "danger." They just know it feels like the end of the day.
That is a great point. Maybe we should all be a bit more like Ezra and just respond to what our bodies are telling us. If the red light feels good, it probably is good.
I think we would all be a lot less tired if we did.
Well, this has been a fascinating dive into the world of color and mental energy. Hannah, thank you so much for sending in that prompt. It gave us a chance to clear up some of those common misconceptions about how light actually works. It is amazing how much the science has moved forward just in the last few years.
Yes, thank you, Hannah. And tell Daniel we said hi, and I hope the R-G-B experiments continue to go well. Just make sure you keep that blue Tupperware in a safe place! I don't want to be the one to tell Mum that her favorite container went missing in Jerusalem.
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It really is. Alright, I think that is a wrap for today. I am going to go get that chicken soup before it gets cold. I can practically smell the dill from here.
Enjoy the soup, Herman. This has been My Weird Prompts. I am Corn.
And I am Herman Poppleberry.
Thanks for listening, and we will talk to you next time.
Goodbye, everyone!
