The Influence of Vertical Illuminance on Cognitive Performance and Subjective Evaluations during Simulated Conditions of Polar-Night Specificity

ABSTRACT

The natural light environment in polar regions is different in that there are midnight sun and polar night rather than a regular year-round alternation of day and night. Existing research has reported that the scientific modulation of interior light parameters can reduce the negative effects on the circadian rhythm and improve brain functions of the staff members at polar stations, from basic physiological mechanisms to higher cognitive functions, such as perception, learning, memory, and thinking. Currently, the appropriate balance of visual and nonvisual aspects that allow lighting conditions to be applied in a manner conducive to human well-being, health and functioning is still to be investigated, and accurate analysis of the influence rules of functional lighting’s vertical illuminance at eye level on cognitive performance remains an unresolved and important issue. This study analyses the effects of the vertical illuminance at eye level of functional lighting on the cognitive performance indicators toward the target population through simple reaction time task, cancellation test, and stroop test, and concludes that vertical illuminance levels of 260 ~ 300 lx at eye level contributed to improved cognitive performance. The study also verifies that comfort and satisfaction indices of subjective perceptions are significantly and strongly correlated with cognitive function indicators, and slightly better than the relaxation index. However, the attention index is not significantly correlated with cognitive function indicators. This study can provide data reference for the light design and operational decisions of buildings in Antarctica and the Arctic to promote wider application and impact.

KEYWORDS:

• Functional lighting
• polar regions
• interior light environment
• nonvisual effect
• cognitive performance

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Doctors Wanxian Yu and Dongliang Cao for helpful comments on experimental design. Thanks also to the seminar participants at China Antarctic Zhongshan Research Station and the energetic laboratory staff members for their supports. Any errors are our own.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by Science and Technology Planning Project of Shanghai under Grant [20DZ2205900], in part by the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project under Grant [2021SHZDZX0100], and in part by Shanghai Municipal Commission of Science and Technology Project under Grant [19511132101], and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.