Rosetta Stone

August 24, 2020

Daylight + Mental Health

Talking Points • Research Brief • Collection Database


Daylight - Mental Health Talking Points

Summary

Access to daylight has positive impacts on the mental health of building occupants. Depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD), in particular, are positively impacted by daylight. In general, daylight seems to improve mood, but conclusive studies remain elusive due to the myriad of factors involved in influencing mood.

Keywords

Daylight, mental health, depression, mood, mental illness, seasonal affective disorder

Improved Mood

  • High illuminance levels at work surfaces associated with daylight are connected to a reduced sense of gloom (Boyce 2003).
  • Daylit post-surgical facilities improve the mental well-being of patients, as well as their recovery rates (Boyce 2003).
  • Bright light in the morning has been shown to decrease agitation among elderly dementia patients (Joseph 2006, Ulrich 2004).

Impacts on Mental Illness

  • Daylight has been shown to positively impact those with various types of mental illness (Edwards 2002, Joseph 2006, Ulrich 2008).
  • Direct sunlight in the morning was found to decrease the length of stay in the hospital for patients suffering from bipolar disorder (Benedetti 2001).
  • Alzheimer’s patients exposed to bright daylight showed improved circadian rhythms and sleep cycles as well as being less prone to depression (Edwards 2002).

Depression

  • Daylight is effective in reducing depression and improving mood, even for people hospitalized with severe depression (Ulrich 2008).
  • Daylight is helpful in preventing post-operative delirium and depression (Edwards 2002).
  • Light, including daylight, is a useful treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a seasonal form of depression (Boyce 2003).

Key References

Review Articles
  • Boyce, P., Hunter, C. and Howlett, O. (2003) The Benefits of Daylight through Windows. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy.
  • Edwards, L., & Torcellini, P. (2002). Literature Review of the Effects of Natural Light on Building Occupants
  • Joseph, A. (2006). The impact of light on outcomes in healthcare settings (No. Issue Paper #2). Concord, CA: The Center for Health Design.
  • Ulrich, Roger S, Craig Zimring, Xiaobo Quan, Anjali Joseph, Ruchi Choudhary. “The Role of the Physical Environment in the Hospital of the 21st Century: A Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity.” The Center for Health Design. (2004).
  • Ulrich, Roger S, Craig Zimring, Xuemei Zhu, Jennifer DuBose, Hyun-Bo Seo, Young-Seon Choi, Xiaobo Quan, and Anjali Joseph. “A Review of the Research Literature on Evidence-Based Healthcare Design.” HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal 1, no. 3 (2008): 61-125.
Primary Research
  • Benedetti, F., Colombo, C., Barbini, B., Campori, E., & Smeraldi, E. (2001). Morning sunlight reduces length of hospitalization in bipolar depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 62(3), 221–223.
  • Golden, R. N., Gaynes, B. N., Ekstrom, R. D., Hamer, R. M., Jacobsen, F. M., Suppes, T., et al. (2005). The efficacy of light therapy in the treatment of mood disorders: A review and meta-analysis of the evidence. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162(4), 656–662
  • Lewy, A. J., Bauer, V. K., Cutler, N. L., Sack, R. L., Ahmed, S., Thomas, K. H., et al. (1998). Morning vs evening light treatment of patients with winter depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 55(10), 890-896.
Popular Press