Restorative effects of projected dappled light patterns

Although nature is known to be a source of restoration, little is known about the restoration potential of dynamic light patterns created by daylight and nature. The present study investigated the effect of projected dappled light patterns (i.e., sunlight falling through a tree canopy) on stress and associations with nature in a simulated office environment. Subjective (Activation Deactivation Adjective Check List, AD-ACL) and physiological (Skin Conductance Level, SCL) stress and reported associations with nature were measured in a between-subjects study where 73 participants performed a Sing-a-Song Stress Test while one of three experimental stimuli was projected on a wall throughout the experiment: a video of dappled light with leaves moving with the breeze (dynamic dappled light, n=24), a single frame from the dappled light video (static dappled light, n=25), and a grayscale image (control condition, n=24). Initial results show that exposure to the dynamic dappled light during a stressor task led to significantly lower baseline-corrected SCL compared to the static and control conditions, which might be interpreted as an instorative (i.e., stress-preventive) effect. However, there was no significant effect of the experimental condition on baseline-corrected SCL during the recovery period or on subjective stress. Dynamic dappled light was also significantly more associated with nature compared to the static and control conditions. The findings of this study suggest that dynamic light patterns from nature may contribute to the design of indoor environments with stress-preventive capabilities and motivate further investigation of the spatial and temporal light characteristics that can support occupant well-being.