Lighting emotions: a review of the emotional influence of color perceived lightness

As human beings, we are continuously exposed to stimuli that modulate our psychological functioning and behavior, presumably through the influence exerted on our emotions (Valdez and Mehrabian, 1994). In literature, among others, the feature of color, mainly related to the three attributes of hue, chroma, and lightness, represents one of the most explored topics (Wilms and Oberfeld, 2018). By the way, the multidisciplinary lens through which it has been investigated and the partial lack of methodological rigor (Elliot, 2015) make it difficult, thus far, to unify the research evidence while being able to disambiguate the single contribution of each color's attribute. The current review aims to provide an overview of the most recent literature, focusing on evidence that highlights the role of the perceived lightness of color, in its functional as well as aesthetic properties, in influencing emotions and behavior. Practical implications and future directions in this research area are outlined.