EFFECTS OF GREEN VS. WHITE CHROMATICITY LIGHTING ON ATTENTION: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY USING BRAIN–COMPUTER INTERFACE TECHNOLOGIES.

Abstract

This exploratory study aims to assess the effect of chromatic lighting (green, chromaticity x, y = 0.302, 0.466 – 520 nanometers – and white x, y = 0.313, 0.37 – 6500 Kelvin) on attention in a simulated office environment, using metrics derived from a brain–computer interface (BCI) and self-reported measures.

Twelve participants (18–22 years old) completed a Continuous Performance Test (CPT) under two lighting conditions (green, white) in a counterbalanced order. Indices derived from the Emotiv Insight device (primarily Attention and Relaxation), CPT performance (hits, errors, reaction time), and self-perceived workload (NASA TLX) were recorded. Repeated measures analyses and exploratory correlations were employed.

In this pilot study, the green condition yielded higher maximum peaks in the Attention metric (maximum observed value = 83) but exhibited greater variability in Relaxation. The white condition showed more stable Attention levels and mid-range Relaxation values. No significant effects attributable to exposure order (counterbalancing) were observed.

The results suggest that green lighting may promote short-term episodes of elevated attention, although its effect on relaxation is inconsistent. Given the exploratory nature and small sample size, replication with a larger sample is required.