Do Salt Lamps Work?

If the lamp turns on, then the salt lamp technically works. Checkmate Veritasium.

when i saw the title, i had no idea salt lamps were supposed to be anything other than aesthetic lamps, so I was like of course they work. They produce light and look nice.

The thing with the thunderstorms, oceans and beaches is that they are already quite exciting on their own - so it's normal to feel different/better when experiencing them.

8:51 "So, your conclusion is that it's not producing any negative ions?" "We certainly aren't able to detect any ions." I love his response. It's such a humble, carefully worded, and scientific response. He doesn't say definitively that the salt lamp is not producing ions, just that they simply are not detecting any ions from the salt lamp. It is a subtle but important distinction, and a great example of how easy it is to develop hubris from literally anything if you're not paying attention to yourself. The scientific community ⁠— no, the world needs more of this.

Never knew those lamps were supposed to produce ions I thought they were just a cool decoration item.

I thought salt lamps were supposed to help satisfy your hunger with a simple lick late at night.

I just love how the scientist are so open-ended with their responses. None of them said absolutely not to any experiment. They all said stuff like " i believe or, or it appears to be that way".

My salt lamp totally works! I had a severe lack of glowing rocks and now I have a pretty one to fill the void

The fact that you made this whole video without saying the word 'placebo' is impressive

I like to think that when he's walking with the camera he's actually grabbing us by the throat a dragging us along while rambling about ions and salt lamps

I like when people make thumbnails like this. It answers the question and makes you go like: well why doesn’t it work? And then you have to watch the video to find out why. This is a much better strategy than click bait

I think another important thing to point out about the ion "tests" is that doing these tests in things like office settings is a great way, experimentally-speaking, to get a positive result without knowing if you've identified the correct cause. Sure, people probably do notice an improvement in mood and general behavior when an ionizing air purifier is put into the room, but that doesn't just change the ion content of the room. I could very easily imagine introducing an air purifier to an office that previously didn't have one would improve air quality in general and improve air flow in a room that's probably rather stuffy otherwise. Sure, it could be the ions... but it could also be a lot of other things.

I cant stop thinking about how the only reason he made this video was to tell his friend he is wrong.

I adore how when Derek asks "are you an ion expert" the answer isn't yes or no. It's "here is my level of experience in the field." which gives you a way better idea of why you should listen than just "yes i am"

I bought the salt lamp because it looks cool. Didn't know people actually thought they made you happier or something lol

Great video. I’d love to see one on the concept of “Earthing” (connecting yourself to the ground) and maybe one about EMF radiation.

Veritasium: the only channel that poses a question, answers it in the thumbnail, yet I still feel compelled to watch the 16 minute video

I love how humble that man was, didn’t want to say he’s an expert after a mere 55 years of study. Contrary to the guy selling the salt lamp, he had all the answers with zero knowledge.

My entire life I got bad grades in school. Geography was the exception because of the passion I had for Nature... So it was easy to learn something I intuitively understood. But... YOU have made learning any subject a want to do, not a have to do... I am so grateful for the scientific learning you provide on Veritasium! I wish people like you ran schools across the planet. We wouldn't be in this divided world if education was performed correctly... Thank You!

Love this! I have a whole Himilayan Mountain range of these lamps in my house, but have only ever purchased them for their aesthetic qualities, a.k.a their moody pink and orange glow. Everytime anyone comes over and comments on them, I feel I have to give them the disclaimer that I don't actually believe the new-age-woo associated with them, and that they're just for decorative purposes.