Natural Light Influence on Intellectual Performance. A Case Study on University Students

Abstract

Natural light in interior spaces has many advantages: the most obvious is energy savings, but also many long term physical and mental health benefits. Published research demonstrates the positive effects of natural light, especially in spaces used in long term periods, such as offices, houses, hospital rooms, etc. However, how would the deprivation of natural light affect users in spaces of more occasional use, such as lecture theatres, surgery rooms, courtrooms…? The present research consists in a case study that adds some data on that question. The experiment processed the data on the performance of 278 university students in one theoretical course, consisting in three-hour weekly lectures. This course was taught six times, in six consecutive years (2013–2018), three in exclusively artificially lit basement classrooms, and the other three in classrooms with windows, mixing natural and artificial light. The data of the exam and attendance scores were compared statistically for both populations (basement vs. windows classrooms). The research found strong evidence of the classrooms with windows having better exam scores than those in the basement, with mean differences between 13.17% and 7.73%. Mann–Whitney U tests supported this result, with p-values ranging between p << 0.001 and p = 0.007. Attendance differences were not significant.

Comparative analysis of light environment perception, eye movement and physiology in university professional classroom based on virtual reality experiment

“…A number of studies have found that students' academic performance in combined light environments is significantly higher than that of students in fully artificial lighting. [31][32][33] Therefore, the combined light environment was incorporated into the experiments in this study. On the other hand, in previous light environment experiments for the study of human physiological indices, there were few comprehensive comparative analyses of various physiological indicators, which made it impossible to macroscopically analyze the characteristics of human perception of the environment.…”

Hospitals management transformative initiatives; towards energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in healthcare facilities

“…managing hospital building envelopes (Porras Álvarez, 2020; Balali and Valipour, 2021; Jain et al , 2021).…”

“…Therefore, efficient energy management initiatives in hospitals can contribute to the achievement of SDG 7. Several elements are essential for the rational and efficient use of energy in hospitals: energy consumption management (Acampa et al , 2020; Blass et al , 2017; Ryan-Fogarty et al , 2016); managing use of green technologies (Franco et al , 2017; Khahro et al , 2021); and managing hospital building envelopes (Porras Álvarez, 2020; Balali and Valipour, 2021; Jain et al , 2021). …”

“…Natural lighting in interior spaces is an excellent way of reducing energy costs. This includes the use of large windows, wall and floor surfaces being made of highly reflective materials and the use of light colours in the environment (Porras Álvarez, 2020).…”

Experimental Analysis of Passive Strategies in Houses with Glass Façades for the Use of Natural Light

“…Being able to work in natural light improves people's performance, as well as mood, and contributes to a better quality of life [17][18][19]. Many studies have focused on office buildings, but few have shown results for residential buildings, where-in the context of the pandemic-the number of hours spent in the home has increased due to teleworking and online classes [20][21][22][23][24][25][26].…”