TY - JOUR
T1 - Disarming darkness
T2 - Effects of ambient lighting on approach motivation and state anger among people with varying trait anger
AU - Veenstra, Lotte
AU - Koole, Sander L.
PY - 2018/12
Y1 - 2018/12
N2 - The present research examined the influence of ambient lighting on approach-oriented motivation and emotion. Because darkness is associated with inactivity, the authors hypothesized that dark (vs. bright) environments would lower approach motivation. Consistent with this, participants in Experiment 1 (N = 80) reported less approach motivation in a dark (vs. bright) room. In Experiment 2 (N = 112), state anger –an approach-oriented emotion-was reduced among participants high (vs. low) on trait anger when participants were interviewed in a dark (vs. bright) environment. Subtle variations in ambient lighting may thus moderate approach-oriented motivations and emotions. These findings could have broad implications for understanding how environmental conditions may regulate human motivation and emotion.
AB - The present research examined the influence of ambient lighting on approach-oriented motivation and emotion. Because darkness is associated with inactivity, the authors hypothesized that dark (vs. bright) environments would lower approach motivation. Consistent with this, participants in Experiment 1 (N = 80) reported less approach motivation in a dark (vs. bright) room. In Experiment 2 (N = 112), state anger –an approach-oriented emotion-was reduced among participants high (vs. low) on trait anger when participants were interviewed in a dark (vs. bright) environment. Subtle variations in ambient lighting may thus moderate approach-oriented motivations and emotions. These findings could have broad implications for understanding how environmental conditions may regulate human motivation and emotion.
KW - Approach/avoidance motivation
KW - Emotion regulation
KW - Situated social cognition
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85055972416&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85055972416&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jenvp.2018.07.005
DO - 10.1016/j.jenvp.2018.07.005
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85055972416
VL - 60
SP - 34
EP - 40
JO - Journal of Environmental Psychology
JF - Journal of Environmental Psychology
SN - 0272-4944
ER -