Homes are supposed to be places where people can relax and rest but research commissioned by Philips Lighting has found a third of Australians feels scared in their own home. The research also revealed that three quarters of Australian adults are afraid of the dark.

“The fear response is associated with the interpretation of threat. When people fear darkness, there is often an underlying concern that dangers like intruders are more common at night time and that we are more vulnerable when we are asleep. In darkness, we are unable to be reassured that there is no threat nearby so our fear and panic may escalate,” says leading phobia expert Corrie Ackland.

According to the research, over one in 10 Australians think they would feel safer and more secure with better lighting in their homes, while a further 25% believe it would make them feel significantly more relaxed when the sun goes down.

“Good lighting serves to put sufferers at ease that there is no danger around and also makes them feel more confident in their ability to navigate their surroundings which also serves to reduce concern,” says Corrie.

To prove the impact that lighting can have in transforming a space, Philips Lighting conducted a social experiment in un-haunting one of Australia’s most haunted locations, the Manly Quarantine Station.

Using only Philips Hue, other LED bulbs and minimal props, the location was transformed into a warm and inviting holiday home before being put to the ultimate test when an unsuspecting couple were invited to stay the night.

View the Unhaunting here.

“At Philips Lighting, it’s our mission take light beyond illumination – making people safer, happier and more comfortable in their homes – and as our research and experiment has shown, lighting has the power to transform not only a space but the way we feel,” says Philips Lighting ANZ marketing manager Simon O’Donnelly.

Interior design expert Sarah Ellison, who designed the lighting plan for the Philips Lighting unhaunting experiment, believes that light can dramatically transform any space.

“We took one of the most haunted locations in the country and made it feel like a warm, inviting sanctuary by using a clever lighting plan that worked with the space. We used Philips Hue white ambiance in the bedroom to allow our couple to customise their lighting based on their mood and placed Hue motion sensors in the hallway for extra comfort when moving around the house.”