Indoor Lighting to Improve Cognitive Performance in Remote Workers: A Clinical Trial
The Challenge
The practice of working from home was well-established before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, but the pandemic significantly accelerated this trend. A major business concern related to remote work is maintaining employee productivity. Lighting has been identified as a critical environmental factor that significantly influences office workers' health, sleep, mood, comfort, cognitive function, and, consequently, productivity. One unintended consequence of working from home is reduced light exposure, particularly the contrast between daytime and evening light. Home offices, often converted from bedrooms, basements, or kitchens, typically offer only 50–100 lux, compared to the approximately 500 lux provided in traditional office settings. This reduction in light exposure can negatively impact health and well-being, particularly by disrupting sleep quality and impairing cognitive performance.
The Approach
This study evaluated the effectiveness of a biodynamic lighting intervention on sleep, cognitive function, and alertness in adults working from home. The intervention featured an innovative lighting solution designed to leverage both visual and non-visual effects of light by delivering varying intensities and spectra throughout the workday, following a predefined protocol. A total of 20 participants (N = 20) took part in the five-week experiment, beginning with a screening visit at their homes. The study was conducted over five consecutive one-week periods, with two cohorts undergoing the same sequence of lighting interventions. Data collection was limited to working days (Monday to Friday) when participants were exposed to the prescribed lighting conditions in their home offices.
Findings and Impact
The findings revealed that the lighting interventions had a significant impact on the cognitive performance of remote workers, with the intervention conditions markedly enhancing overall cognitive function. Moreover, a significant correlation was observed between both acute and average light intensity and spectrum and cognitive performance, suggesting that the effects of lighting on cognition may operate through both visual and non-visual pathways.