Wellbeing is a much broader concept than moment-to-moment happiness, it also includes things such as how satisfied people are with their life as whole, their sense of purpose, and how in control they feel.
According to the WELL Building Standard, there are seven environmental factors that affect a person’s wellbeing:
As the image shows, the power of light, or lack thereof, will influence a person’s sense of wellbeing, leading to a more positive or negative outlook.
Lighting directly affects a person’s circadian rhythm, which regulates their hunger, wake/sleep cycle and a range of other important rhythms.
The natural course of light, with the cycle of intensity, colour temperature and spectral range, enhances this circadian rhythm, and allows us to perform to our best.
However, as humans now spend 90% of their time indoors, considerations need to be made about how the artificial lighting, which illuminates most of our lives, is affecting how we live, sleep, work and rest.
For more information, take a look at our CIBSE-Certified CPD Module, Lighting for Wellbeing.
