Does This Help You or Hurt You?

At the table in my friend's kitchen, she turned on the lamp.

"Does this help you or hurt you?"

Great question. "Neither," I said.
The question was more important than the answer. 

At second look, I saw that the lamp made colors in the room more vivid, and although it didn't affect my vision, the brighter colors elicited more cheer. The lamp also helped my friend, and that in turn helped me. 

So I changed my answer: "It helps."
But it's still the question that's important.