Bright, flickering and flashing lights really can be bad for you – here’s how to have a visually comfortable Christmas

By Catherine Manning, Associate Professor in Psychology, University of Birmingham
Arnold J Wilkins, Professor of Psychology, University of Essex

It is the time of year when decorations appear everywhere and everyone has a preferred style, from bright flashing lights to something more understated. Christmas decorations are meant to be cheerful, yet for some people, certain types of visual input can be surprisingly difficult to tolerate.

No one wants to dampen the festive mood, but it is worth knowing that decorations can cause discomfort in ways that are easy to overlook.

Flashing lights are a familiar Christmas choice, probably because…

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