Why Do We Love Lights So Much? The Science Behind Our Fascination

It starts with a single diya. Then a string of fairy lights. Then an entire street glitters. Every Diwali, our cities transform into a constellation of warm yellows, fierce reds and twinkling golds. We stop, we stare, we smile. And we photograph it. 

But why? Why does a child stand transfixed before a fairy light curtain, and why does that same child — now grown up — feel a rush when thousands of concert lights pulse to a beat?

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It turns out, our love for festive illumination is not just aesthetic. It is biological, psychological and deeply cultural.

Not just visual pleasure

Psychologists say light literally rewires how we feel in the moment. “Light and colour aren't just visual treats. Light stimulates directly the neurons to the brain and part of it that controls our bio-clock, alertness, and mood,” says Dr Pavitra Shankar, Associate Consultant, Psychiatrist, Aakash Healthcare.

According to her, the perception of light impacts our serotonin and melatonin levels, which in turn regulates mood, energy and sleep-wake cycles. A bright, warm light can make an environment feel inviting, animated and emotionally soothing at once.

Psychologically, light also equals safety. Visibility reduces uncertainty. Darkness, evolutionarily, meant threat. Light meant we could see, we could gather, we could be safe. “Psychologically, light also gives a sense of visibility and security, as against the feeling of darkness and uncertainty. Such special times in the year like Diwali with colourful surroundings, diyas, and decorative lights can provide celebration, togetherness, and positivity emotionally,” Dr. Shankar explains.

These visual cues trigger positivity, stir memories and create a feeling of unity. “There is a fusion of feelings, biology and culture at play, then, in our love of festival lights,” she adds.

In other words, when we light up our homes, we are also lighting up neural pathways linked to reward and belonging.

Awe of watching lights

That awe you feel watching lights — is it new, or is it remembered? Dr. Shankar says it is both. Our fascination is a mix of evolutionary wiring and learned emotion. For early humans, a warm light source meant warmth, safety from predators and the ability to see. That ancient association of bright = safe still shapes how we experience illuminated spaces today.

But there is a second layer: memory.

“Celebrations, meeting family, birthdays and festivals — lights often take on an emotional significance over time. We adults unconsciously see these kinds of sights that bring us happiness, nostalgia, and security,” she says.

This is why a child staring at fairy lights as if they were stars and an adult losing themselves in a concert light show are feeling the same core emotion — wonder — just through different lenses.

Colours amplify it further. “Warm colours — yellow, orange, gold — can be comforting, warm, and festive, and blue can be calming and peaceful. Red can be energizing and stimulating; green can be fresh and balanced. But our colour reaction is also cultural and experiential,” notes Dr. Shankar.

Diyas to strobes

If Diwali uses light for intimacy, concerts use it for immersion. The scale is different, the psychology is the same. Rabbani Mustafa Khan, Singer and Co-founder of NR Talent & Event Management, which curates large-scale live shows, says lighting is never just technical. “Depending on the lyrics, feel and tune of the song we design the light, as lighting is not just a technical element of a concert; it has the power to change the way an audience experiences music,” he says.

For his team, every colour transition is an emotional cue. A warm, golden wash for a soulful ballad makes the crowd sway and feel close, almost like a giant family gathering. A sudden blackout followed by strobe-heavy, multi-colour bursts for a drop creates collective euphoria. “Ultimately, we want the audience to not just hear the music, but feel every moment of it. Lighting helps turn a performance into an experience,” Khan adds.

His partner, Namrata Gupta Khan, Co-founder, NR Talent & Event Management, sees a direct line between a diya and a stage beam.

“I think the common thread is emotion and human connection. Whether it is the warmth of a diya during Diwali or thousands of lights illuminating a concert arena, light creates an atmosphere that makes people feel something,” she says. 

The demand, she notes, has exploded. Today’s audience doesn’t just want good sound; they want world-class lighting design. They walk out remembering not just what they heard, but how it made them feel. “For me, the ultimate success of a concert is when people walk out remembering not just the songs they heard, but how those moments made them feel,” she says.

The classroom test

If you want to see the purest reaction to light, watch a classroom during Diwali. Sapna Pandey, a teacher at SVKM, Mumbai, says the shift is instant and visible.

“As it is observed, light plays a significant role in removing darkness. Same was seen recently in our school, where students came out in full festive mood, participated in making Diwali lanterns and then displaying the same. All had beautiful smiles, positive vibes and cheerful classroom atmosphere,” she says.

For children, light is not décor — it is an event. It signals that something special is happening. That breaks the routine of blackboard and benches and creates belonging. Pandey notices this beyond festivals too. “While teaching, when students are taken outside the classroom they enjoy the bright sunlight, its warmth which they don’t experience very often. Light plays a soothing, compassionate part in everyone’s life,” she says.

It’s a simple insight: we teach children about Diwali as the victory of light over darkness, but they feel it before they understand it. The brightness makes them more attentive, more creative, more willing to share.

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More than just light

We love lights because our brains are wired to seek them, our hearts are wired to remember them, and our cultures are wired to celebrate them.

A diya in a window is a signal: I am home, I am safe, I am with my people. A concert light piercing through smoke is a signal: you are part of something bigger than yourself. A classroom full of paper lanterns is a signal: joy is here.

In our cities, where density and noise can overwhelm, illumination offers a rare, democratic pause. Everyone, regardless of age or background, looks up at the same glow and feels — even for a second — a little more connected, a little more hopeful, a little more human.

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