The Effects of Indoor Environment Color on Cardiovascular Fitness in Healthy Young Adults

Abstract

Color plays an important role in human perception, and lighting conditions in indoor environments may influence perceptual and physiological responses. Recently, the potential effects of environmental factors such as room lighting on physical performance and training outcomes have received increasing attention. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of indoor environment color on cardiovascular fitness. Thirteen healthy young adults (6 females, 7 males; mean age: 24.38 ± 3.13 years) participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions and completed four separate measurement sessions. Each session was conducted under a different indoor environment color (fluorescent, red, green, and blue) while participants performed the standard Bruce Protocol on a treadmill. Heart rate recovery was recorded at 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5-minute post-exercise. Anthropometric measurements (height, body mass, and body fat percentage) were obtained prior to the first session. The results indicated that illumination color had no statistically significant effect on recovery heart rates (p > .05), with small effect sizes across conditions (η²p range = .019–.091). These findings suggest that the color of the indoor environment alone may not substantially influence cardiovascular responses during submaximal treadmill exercise. However, the observed tendencies may provide practical considerations for designers and exercise professionals when planning indoor sports and training environments.