7. Replace Your Light Bulbs With Warmer Tones
While you’re making over your lighting, switch out cool-toned light bulbs for warmer ones, particularly in areas where you want to relax or create a more social environment. “We have more intimate conversations and self-disclose more under warmer light sources. We feel more relaxed and physically appear healthier in this style of lighting,” says Dunford, who suggests looking for bulbs around 2700 kelvin to take advantage of these effects. (The aforementioned research review backs this up.)
8. Use Lemon Scents to Perk You Up
Where lavender can help you calm down, lemon can help you perk up. Augustin says that lemons are specifically linked to improved cognitive performance, per research, making them an ideal scent to diffuse in your home office.
In a study published in 2020 in Building and Environment, researchers assessed the mood and learning performance of college students exposed to three scents linked to improved cognitive performance — lemon, peppermint, and rosemary. Researchers found that lemon was the most preferred of the scents and also resulted in higher scores during a memory-related task. The research also suggests that the improved performance is related, in part, to the scent preference of the individual. So if you’re not a fan of lemons, it might be worth trying peppermint or rosemary, as well.