Writing this the Education Estates Conference, guest of Glamox Luxonic. One question that comes up time and again is whether lighting Really makes a difference. Lighting will only ever be one dimension of a dynamic context. But if you are in the ‘every little helps’ camp, it does seem that the lighting can make a difference. Here are some papers you might enjoy.
Bright light can make you feel more alert –
Have a read here…
It can also cut down on mistakes and improve reading speed (but not comprehension)…
Have a read here…
‘Cool’ light does seem to be a bit of a golden ticket when it comes to remembering what you’ve learnt – a 30 minute burst before you learn something seems to significantly improve your ability to remember it. This paper explains what’s going on in the brain –
Have a read here…
It’s tempting to think you should just throw blue light at everything, But this paper suggests that warmer light is better for creative thinking.
Have a read here…
And if you feel like throwing your computer out of the window, try adding some animated LED strips to the top and bottom of it – you will be kinder to your computer but make sure you use gentle green and blue ones – red and high intensity lights were perceived as negative and more hostile….