HIGHER CORTISOL makes humans more
alert, motivated and happy.
Humans require light to see, however it was just recently discovered that light is required to sustain good mental and physical health. The earliest research into the impact of light on humans was conducted in the late 1800s culminating in the first light therapy around 1903, where in the absence of antibiotics, direct sunlight was used to treat tuberculosis.
Physicists at the time were heavily focussed on “dangerous wavelengths”, including ultra violet, gamma-rays and x-rays, as they cause harm to the human body. However the importance of visible light, was not discovered until almost a century later in 2002; sunlight helps the body to create vitamin D, which can deeply affect mood and overall wellbeing when the body is in low supply.
How light affects mood and behaviour
Daylight triggers a third receptor at the bottom of the retina which influence our hormone balance, circadian rhythm, core temperature, blood pressure and other body systems. The hormones mainly regulated by the third receptor are cortisol and melatonin. Cortisol is considered a positive stress hormone keeping humans motivated and happy, whist high levels of melatonin can trigger sleep.
Daylight (more blue light within the spectrum), will cause a higher level of cortisol and make humans feel more alert, motivated and happy.
Dusk and night (more red light within the spectrum) causes the level of cortisol to decrease and increases the levels of melatonin making humans feel sleepy and less motivated.
The intensity of light also plays its part in the process. Research suggests that around 100 candelas / m2 (or approximately 85lux) triggers a biological response within the human body.
We ‘get’ light
It’s essential to consider the effects of lighting on users when considering a lighting upgrade. Getting this right will have a material impact on productivity, user satisfaction and behaviour as well as positive environmental and sustainable outcomes.
We understand light and it’s impact on the body and human behaviour. In fact, we could talk about it till the sun goes down. But we’ll save you the essay and recommend you get in touch to discuss your brief.