Using soft LED lights led to an 84% drop in suicide attempts in Japan.
Japan’s innovative use of calming blue LED lighting has achieved a staggering 84 percent reduction in train station suicide attempts. In an innovative approach to public safety, Japanese railway stations are demonstrating how simple environmental changes can have a profound impact on mental health. By installing high-intensity blue LED lights at the ends of train platforms—areas often chosen for suicide attempts due to their isolation—the East Japan Railway Company has seen a dramatic shift in behavior.
Researchers from the University of Tokyo found that these calming lights, which evoke the tranquility of the sky and sea, contributed to a remarkable 84 percent decrease in suicide attempts over a ten-year period. This cost-effective intervention serves as a powerful reminder of how psychological triggers can be redirected through intentional design. The success of blue lighting is bolstered by findings linking mental health to light exposure, particularly during extended periods of overcast weather.
Data suggests that railway suicides in Japan often spike following consecutive days of rain and cloud cover, highlighting a biological need for brightness that these installations help fulfill. While traditional safety measures like chest-high barriers and sliding doors are effective, they are also incredibly expensive and difficult to install in older stations. In contrast, the implementation of blue lighting offers a scalable, affordable alternative that addresses the root of the crisis by soothing the emotional state of individuals in distress before they act. source: Psychology Today. (2025, January 27). Train Suicides Reduced by Blue Lighting. Psychology Today.
Life event that changes all: Horse riding accident in Zimbabwe in 1993, a fractured skull et al including bipolar anxiety, chronic fatigue …. co-morbidities (Nietzche 'He who has the reason why can deal with any how' details my health history from 1993 to date). 17th 2017 August operation for breast cancer (no indications just an appointment came from BreastCheck through the Post). Trinity College Dublin Business Economics and Social Studies (but no degree) 1997-2003; UCD 1997/1998 night classes) essays, projects, writings. Trinity Horizon Programme 1997/98 (Centre for Women Studies Trinity College Dublin/St. Patrick's Foundation (Professor McKeon) EU Horizon funded: research study of 15 women (I was one of this group and it became the cornerstone of my journey to now 2017) over 9 mth period diagnosed with depression and their reintegration into society, with special emphasis on work, arts, further education; Notes from time at Trinity Horizon Project 1997/98; Articles written for Irishhealth.com 2003/2004; St Patricks Foundation monthly lecture notes for a specific period in time; Selection of Poetry including poems written by people I know; Quotations 1998-2017; other writings mainly with theme of social justice under the heading Citizen Journalism Ireland. Letters written to friends about life in Zimbabwe; Family history including Michael Comyn KC, my grandfather, my grandmother's family, the O'Donnellan ffrench Blake-Forsters; Moral wrong: An acrimonious divorce but the real injustice was the Catholic Church granting an annulment – you can read it and make your own judgment, I have mine. Topics I have written about include annual Brain Awareness week, Mashonaland Irish Associataion in Zimbabwe, Suicide (a life sentence to those left behind); Nostalgia: Tara Hill, Co. Meath.
canisgallicus 