The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of vivid colored lighting on appetite for food. The experiments were carried out to observe subjects' evaluations of various dishes illuminated with vivid colored lights in a room assumed to be a restaurant. The results of the experiments are summarized as follows.
1. Appetite tended not to decrease when the food was illuminated with colors similar to those of the food. It was thought that this was because the food color did not change to any great extent.
2. Appetite for food with plural colors tended to decrease more than was the case for monochrome foods. It was thought that this was because the color balance of the food with plural colors was easily changed by the colored lights.
3. Appetite tended to be maintained at a constant level when the temperature of the food corresponded to the warm/cool image of the colored lights. On the other hand, appetite tended to decrease when the above two factors did not correspond.
4. When the food was illuminated with blue and green lights, the appetite of women tended to be lower than that of men.
