Can Colour and Noise Influence Man's Thermal Comfort?

Abstract

Eight women and eight men each participated in four comfort experiments. In an environmental chamber each subject was exposed to two types of coloured light (extreme rod or extreme blue) and to two noise levels (40 dB(A) or 85 dB(A), white), in all four combinations. In each of the four comfort experiments (2 1/2 h) the preferred ambient temperature was determined for each subject by adjusting the ambient temperature according to his wishes. The subjects were sedentary, clothed at 0·6 clo. Skin temperature, rectal temperature and evaporative weight loss were measured. The subjects preferred a slightly lower (0·4°C) ambient temperature in the extreme red light than in the extreme blue light. The effect of colour on man's comfort is, however, so small that it has hardly any practical significance. There was found no effect of noise on thermal comfort. None of the physiological measurements were influenced by colour or noise.