Emotional Response to In-Car Dynamic Lighting

As an emotion elicitor and mood generator, light receives considerable attention. In this study, we investigated the effects of cluster lighting on a driver’s emotional response, when the lighting varied in color and dynamic patterns. A total of 29 college students visually experienced 25 different kinds of lighting and made subjective assessments concerning satisfaction, tension, and uniqueness. As a result, we observed that tension responses were significantly influenced by both light color and light patterns. In terms of dynamic patterns, sudden high-frequency light produced the greatest tension. Based on these empirical results, this study suggests that lighting can support an emotionally satisfactory and comfortable in-car design.