Why do dark rooms feel cooler than rooms with the lights on?

Question

Is it a mental thing? Like does the absence of light trick our brain into thinking the room is cooler? Or, is it a physical thin, where the lights are producing enough warmth. Not any fancy lights though, just regular room lights

In: 9

Answer 1

They are colder. Even minorly, your light bulbs produce heat, anything that produces light produces some amount of heat, most materials store heat, in a bright room you’ll find over time the surfaces will be slightly warmer. You also tend to be more active when it’s bright which means your body heats up and your surroundings can leech that heat leading to an overall increase. Many other factors but they’re a good portion of the ELI5 ones.