Bright light can influence human psychophysiology instantaneously by inducing endocrine (suppression of melatonin, increasing cortisol levels), other physiological changes (enhancement of core body temperature), and psychological changes (reduction of sleepiness, increase of alertness). Its broad range of action is reflected in the wide field of applications, ranging from optimizing work environment to treating depressed patients. For optimal bright light application and understanding its mechanism, it is crucial to know whether its effects depend on the time of day. In this paper we report the effects of bright light given at two different times of day on psychological and physiological parameters. 24 subjects participated in two experiments (N=12 each). All subjects were nonsmoking healthy young males (18-30 years). In both experiments subjects were exposed to either bright light (5000 lux) or dim light < 10 lux (control condition) either between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. (experiment A) or between midnight and 4 a.m. (experiment B). Hourly measurements included salivary cortisol concentrations, ECG, sleepiness (Karolinska Sleepiness Scale), fatigue and energy ratings (Visual Analogue Scale). Core body temperature was measured continuously throughout the experiments. Bright light had a time dependent effect on heart rate and core body temperature, i.e., bright light exposure at night, but not in daytime increased heart rate and enhanced core body temperature. It had no significant effect at all on cortisol. The effect of bright light on the psychological variables was time independent, as nighttime as well as daytime bright light reduced sleepiness and fatigue significantly and similarly.