Don't worry - be happy! (and more productive)
Americans spend an average of 90% of our time indoors - so let's make our indoors productive and happy conducive places!
There are numerous studies that illustrate how your work and home environment affect your productivity and happiness including ventilation and daylighting. I've included some brief information here along with links for those interested in learning more.
David Hobstetter in "Daylighting and Productivity: A study of the effects of the indoor environment on human function" explains the physical/psychological affects of daylight:
"Environmental biologists theorize that regular contact with daylight promotes circadian stimulation, regulating physical and mental function through our natural responses to the rhythms of light. Circadian dysfunction has been associated with cardiovascular problems, immune dysfunction, cognitive and functional deterioration, and depression. Several studies have shown that the disturbances in sleep and circadian rhythm often associated with old age are ameliorated by sufficient exposure to bright light. Furthermore, exposure to full spectrum sunlight enables us to synthesize vitamin D, which promotes strong nerve and muscle functioning as well as cell growth regulation, and without which our bones and tissue cannot efficiently absorb calcium. Adequate exposure to daylight is particularly important for older adults—as the eye ages, less light reaches the retina, so that aging adults receive only a third of the light exposure experienced by younger people under similar conditions. Wavelengths of light have also been shown to influence the production of the hormone melatonin, which controls the cycle of sleep and mental alertness.In a 2003 study of office worker performance conducted by the California Energy Commission (CEC), exposure to daylight was consistently linked with a higher level of concentration and better short-term memory recall. A 1999 study by the CEC found that students in classrooms with the highest levels of daylight performed 7% to 18% higher on standardized tests than those with the lowest. In San Juan Capistrano, California, students with the most daylighting in their classrooms were found to progress 20% faster on math tests and 26% faster on reading tests over the course of a year than those in classrooms with the least light."
Additional information from Daylighting and Productivity - CEC Pier concluded that:
The first, Daylighting in Schools, which was completed for Pacific Gas and Electric in 1999, examined school districts in three states. In Seattle Washington and Fort Collins Colorado, where end-of-year test scores were used as the outcome variable, students in classrooms with the most daylighting were found to have 7% to 18% higher scores than those with the least. In San Juan Capistrano, California, where the study was able to examine the improvement between fall and spring test scores, we found that students with the most daylighting in their classrooms progressed 20% faster on math tests and 26% faster on reading tests in one year than in those with the least.
Downloadable Study:
A study from California Energy Commission PIER Program:
There are numerous studies that illustrate how your work and home environment affect your productivity and happiness including ventilation and daylighting. I've included some brief information here along with links for those interested in learning more.
David Hobstetter in "Daylighting and Productivity: A study of the effects of the indoor environment on human function" explains the physical/psychological affects of daylight:
"Environmental biologists theorize that regular contact with daylight promotes circadian stimulation, regulating physical and mental function through our natural responses to the rhythms of light. Circadian dysfunction has been associated with cardiovascular problems, immune dysfunction, cognitive and functional deterioration, and depression. Several studies have shown that the disturbances in sleep and circadian rhythm often associated with old age are ameliorated by sufficient exposure to bright light. Furthermore, exposure to full spectrum sunlight enables us to synthesize vitamin D, which promotes strong nerve and muscle functioning as well as cell growth regulation, and without which our bones and tissue cannot efficiently absorb calcium. Adequate exposure to daylight is particularly important for older adults—as the eye ages, less light reaches the retina, so that aging adults receive only a third of the light exposure experienced by younger people under similar conditions. Wavelengths of light have also been shown to influence the production of the hormone melatonin, which controls the cycle of sleep and mental alertness.In a 2003 study of office worker performance conducted by the California Energy Commission (CEC), exposure to daylight was consistently linked with a higher level of concentration and better short-term memory recall. A 1999 study by the CEC found that students in classrooms with the highest levels of daylight performed 7% to 18% higher on standardized tests than those with the lowest. In San Juan Capistrano, California, students with the most daylighting in their classrooms were found to progress 20% faster on math tests and 26% faster on reading tests over the course of a year than those in classrooms with the least light."
Additional information from Daylighting and Productivity - CEC Pier concluded that:
The first, Daylighting in Schools, which was completed for Pacific Gas and Electric in 1999, examined school districts in three states. In Seattle Washington and Fort Collins Colorado, where end-of-year test scores were used as the outcome variable, students in classrooms with the most daylighting were found to have 7% to 18% higher scores than those with the least. In San Juan Capistrano, California, where the study was able to examine the improvement between fall and spring test scores, we found that students with the most daylighting in their classrooms progressed 20% faster on math tests and 26% faster on reading tests in one year than in those with the least.
Downloadable Study:
A study from California Energy Commission PIER Program:
