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Bright-light exposure combined with physical exercise elevates mood
Abstract
Physical exercise alleviates depressive symptoms, as does exposure to bright light, especially in those with seasonal variation. Our objective was to compare the effect of exercise alone or combined with morning bright light on mood and the health-related quality of life in healthy subjects.
Study subjects were working-age adults, randomized in two groups (n=80): exercise in bright light (group A), or exercise in normal indoor illumination (group B). Intervention lasted for 8 weeks and questionnaire data on mood and the health-related quality of life were collected at study entry, and at weeks 4 and 8.
Physical exercise both in normal indoor illumination and in bright light was effective at alleviating depressive symptoms. The exercise was significantly more effective at alleviating so-called atypical depressive symptoms when combined with bright-light exposure.
There was no active placebo condition, but a comparative, randomized trial was executed.
Physical exercise in bright light had a positive effect on mood and health-related quality of life in a sample of healthy, working-age people. Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms of the apparent additive effect of exercise and light.
... 9,10 Furthermore, another form of treatment suggested for these patients is light therapy, which means continuous exposure to sunlight and/or artificial light of a specific intensity. 11 People with SAD after the end of treatment have positive emotions such as self-control, self-confidence and self-esteem, emotions that are absent in these patients during the onset. 11,12 The above forms of treatment are not expensive and anyone can access them at any time of the day. ...
... 11 People with SAD after the end of treatment have positive emotions such as self-control, self-confidence and self-esteem, emotions that are absent in these patients during the onset. 11,12 The above forms of treatment are not expensive and anyone can access them at any time of the day. Additional forms of treatment, mentioned by the World Health Organization, include medication, which may be costly but accelerates the reduction of symptoms and makes patients feel better in combination with exercise. ...
... So, the above results are good to consider for future research and possible treatment in these patients, but with great consideration. 8,9,[11][12][13] Moreover, people with SAD experience a decrease in both the frequency of physical activity and the pleasure they get from it during the winter months and secondly report that activity patterns may have an impact on behavioral activation treatments for depression. 16 In addition, it has been found that those who perform high-intensity physical activity have a lower rate of seasonal sensitivity (due to changes in the duration of natural light) and those with high seasonal sensitivity have lower psychological well-being. ...
[Available at English and Spanish]
Introduction: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or seasonal depression is a mental disorder that occurs mainly in the winter months with symptoms that differ from the well-known depression. Several forms of treatment have been explored, with exercise being promising. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to review all available studies related to exercise and physical activity in SAD, both therapeutically and on a more general clinical and research level. Material and Methods: The literature search was conducted in Pubmed, Scopus, APA Psychinfo and SPORTDiscus databases. The following keywords were used: seasonal depression, seasonal affective disorder, exercise, therapeutic exercise, physiotherapy, physical therapy and physical activity. The final studies were selected using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: Of the 169 studies initially identified, the researchers concluded on 3 studies. The symptoms of SAD can be reduced with a personalized program that includes aerobic exercise, combining perhaps the appropriate time of day, but also the presence or absence of natural or artificial light. Also, it has not been proven whether or not exercise is a predictor of SAD. Conclusion: Aerobic exercise is possibly the key for the reduction and elimination of symptoms of SAD in the winter months. However, further study in this field seems extremely necessary to find safe and reliable forms of exercise that improve the symptoms of these patients.
... Several factors could impact our mood, emotions, and behaviors. One of these factors includes exposure to different lightings [8]. In lots of working environments, fluorescent lights are the most dominant light source. ...
... A study done in Helsinki, Finland in 2002 showed that fluorescent light, mentioned in the study title as "bright light," increases alertness, but has a negative outcome on sleep. This increase of alertness is stated to have a positive impact because it improves cognitive performances and mood when exercising [8]. However, fluorescent light exposure can have negative effects when intending to relax, and it could disturb the sleeping cycle and the circadian rhythm (the body's biological clock), could be due to the decrease in melatonin (a hormone that regulates the circadian rhythm) [13][14][15]. ...
... Several articles have discussed the effects of lighting on mood, cognition, and sleep; however, up to our knowledge, no previous or recent studies addressed the relationship between fluorescent light and anxiety disorders, even though based on observations, many patients with anxiety disorders have complained when exposed to fluorescent light [8,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Since fluorescent light is used worldwide, it would be beneficial to know whether it would impact patients with anxiety disorders. ...
Aim
Anxiety is an emotion recognized by a feeling of tension and agitation along with physiological excitement. Several factors could influence the moods, emotions, and behaviors of patients with anxiety disorders. One of these factors includes exposure to different lightings. In lots of working environments, fluorescent lights are the most dominant light source. Due to the dominance and exposure of fluorescent light, it has been proven that it could have different effects on the human body. Up to our knowledge, no previous or recent studies addressed the relationship between fluorescent light and anxiety disorders, even though based on observations, many patients with anxiety disorders have complained when exposed to fluorescent light. This research determined whether fluorescent light caused discomfort and amplified anxiety symptoms in anxiety patients in comparison to healthy individuals. In other words, the purpose is to determine the effect of fluorescent light on anxiety patients.
Methods
The study design was comparative cross-sectional. Two questionnaires were used, one was a validated screening tool called the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), which was used to screen participants for mental disorders. The second was a self-administered, piloted, and validated questionnaire that included questions regarding the effects of fluorescent light on participants. This study was carried out in the outpatient clinics of King Abdulaziz Medical City in Jeddah between July 2019 and November 2019. A non-probability consecutive sampling technique was used.
Results
The sample size was 206 participants. Seventy-five percent of participants with anxiety disorders agreed that they do not feel comfortable with the lighting of this clinic more than healthy participants that were only 25.0% (P = 0.007). When exposed to a room with fluorescent lighting, most of the participants with anxiety disorders would try to adapt to the lights (66.7%) or leave the room (73.7%) than healthy participants (P = 0.007). Furthermore, fluorescent light reminded participants of anxiety disorders of “old house and old places,” “headaches, negativity, and discomfort,” and “hospitals and schools.”
Conclusion
Participants with anxiety disorders are affected by fluorescent light. They feel uncomfortable and would prefer to either leave the place with fluorescent light or try to adapt. Fluorescent light reminds anxiety participants of negative aspects more than healthy participants.
... We make theoretical contributions, some of which confirm longstanding hypotheses: for example, people tend to be more furious at high temperatures. As another example, snow may aggregate depression and is responsible for increased suicide rate [45] or aggregation of Seasonal Affective Disorder [26]. ...
... A good example is seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which refers to the mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter 1 . Researchers suggest that exposure to sunlight would immediately improve mood and diminishes SAD [22,23,26,50] and that rainy or cloudy days can aggravate the symptoms [26]. Additionally, reliable and significant associations are found between weather and mood-related social behaviors. ...
... A good example is seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which refers to the mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter 1 . Researchers suggest that exposure to sunlight would immediately improve mood and diminishes SAD [22,23,26,50] and that rainy or cloudy days can aggravate the symptoms [26]. Additionally, reliable and significant associations are found between weather and mood-related social behaviors. ...
While it has long been believed in psychology that weather somehow influences
human's mood, the debates have been going on for decades about how they are
correlated. In this paper, we try to study this long-lasting topic by
harnessing a new source of data compared from traditional psychological
researches: Twitter. We analyze 2 years' twitter data collected by twitter API
which amounts to of all postings and try to reveal the correlations
between multiple dimensional structure of human mood with meteorological
effects. Some of our findings confirm existing hypotheses, while others
contradict them. We are hopeful that our approach, along with the new data
source, can shed on the long-going debates on weather-mood correlation.
... Bright light has positive effects on human health. It positively influences circadian rhythms of shift workers, (Leichtfried et al. 2011) can be used in the treatment of seasonal affective disorder (Rastad et al. 2008;Winkler et al. 2006) and showed reductions in carbohydrate craving, appetite and morning fatigue (Leppämäki et al. 2002). Yet so far, the influence of light on physical performance has only been examined regarding maximum performance (Kantermann et al. 2012;Knaier et al. 2016;O'Brien and O'Connor 2000;Ohkuwa et al. 2001). ...
... This could have partially masked a possible effect of bright light exposure on self-chosen exercise intensity. Previous studies (Danilenko et al. 2013;Leppämäki et al. 2002) reported significant changes in mood after three and four weeks of daily use of bright light. In participants in our study mood was not altered after 60 min of bright light exposure combined with exercise. ...
Abbreviations:
VO2max: maximum oxygen uptake; 95% CI: 95% confidence interval; SD: standard deviation.
... Exposure to bright light-natural or electric-has been found to significantly increase vitality in healthy office workers (Partonen & Lönnqvist, 2000) as well as in working-aged people with mild depressive symptoms (Leppämäki, Partonen, & Lönnqvist, 2002). In the experience sampling study by Ryan and colleagues (2009), being outdoors increased vitality. ...
... They only found this difference in summer and fall and only for patients with bipolar depression (not for unipolar depression). Adding bright light therapy to exercise programs can enhance the decrease in depressive symptoms (Leppämäki et al., 2002). ...
Both nature and daylight have been found to positively influence health. These findings were, however, found in two separate research domains. This paper presents an overview of effects found for daylight and nature on health and the health-related concepts stress, mood, and executive functioning and self-regulation. Because of the overlap in effects found and the co-occurrence of both phenomena, the paper points to the need to consider daylight factors when investigating effects of nature and vice versa. Furthermore, the existence of possibly shared underlying mechanisms is discussed and the need to unify the research paradigms and dependent variables used between the two research fields. Last, in view of the beneficial effects of both phenomena on health, our objective is to raise awareness amongst the general public, designers, and health practitioners to use these naturally available phenomena to their full potential.
... Thus, exposure to artificial bright light ameliorates mood in subjects with or without winter-related mood symptoms (Partonen and Lönnqvist, 2000). Bright-light exposure for 8 weeks paired with exercise significantly reduces depressive symptoms in non-clinical subjects compared to exercise alone under normal ambient illumination (Leppamaki et al., 2002). Several studies indicate that prolonged exposure to light by means of long photoperiods has ameliorative effect on depressive symptoms in animals. ...
... An alternative to co-administration of pharmacological agents is to use sensorimotor stimulation as adjunctive or augmentation therapy. There is already evidence that combining bright-light exposure with exercise ameliorates mood (Partonen and Lönnqvist, 2000; Leppamaki et al., 2002 Leppamaki et al., , 2004 ). Several studies indicate that due to its demonstrated ameliorative effect as monotherapy (Babyak et al., 2000; Blumenthal et al., 2007 ) exercise can be used adjunctively with pharmacotherapy in treatment of depression (Trivedi et al., 2006a). ...
Depression involves a dysfunction in an affective fronto-limbic circuitry including the prefrontal cortices, several limbic structures including the cingulate cortex, the amygdala, and the hippocampus as well as the basal ganglia. A major emphasis of research on the etiology and treatment of mood disorders has been to assess the impact of centrally generated (top-down) processes impacting the affective fronto-limbic circuitry. The present review shows that peripheral (bottom-up) unipolar stimulation via the visual and the auditory modalities as well as by physical exercise modulates mood and depressive symptoms in humans and animals and activates the same central affective neurocircuitry involved in depression. It is proposed that the amygdala serves as a gateway by articulating the mood regulatory sensorimotor stimulation with the central affective circuitry by emotionally labeling and mediating the storage of such emotional events in long-term memory. Since both amelioration and aggravation of mood is shown to be possible by unipolar stimulation, the review suggests that a psychophysical assessment of mood modulation by multimodal stimulation may uncover mood ameliorative synergisms and serve as adjunctive treatment for depression. Thus, the integrative review not only emphasizes the relevance of investigating the optimal levels of mood regulatory sensorimotor stimulation, but also provides a conceptual springboard for related future research.
... The second aim is to determine whether the addition of remotely monitored selfadministered BLE to videoconference physical exercise training can optimize sleep improvements. Studies exploring the impact of combining these two synchronizers are still rare, focusing primarily on quality of life and mood (77,78), with none specifically addressing sleep. ...
Aging is characterized by substantial changes in sleep architecture that negatively impact fitness, quality of life, mood, and cognitive functioning. Older adults often fail to reach the recommended level of physical activity to prevent the age-related decline in sleep function, partly because of geographical barriers. Implementing home-based interventions could surmount these obstacles, thereby encouraging older adults to stay active, with videoconference administration emerging as a promising solution. Increasing the availability of biological rhythms synchronizers, such as physical activity, light exposure, or vestibular stimulation, represents a viable non-pharmacological strategy for entraining circadian rhythms and potentially fortifying the sleep–wake cycle, thereby enhancing sleep in aging. This study aims to (1) assess the impact of remote physical exercise training and its combination with bright light exposure, and (2) investigate the specific contribution of galvanic vestibular stimulation, to sleep quality among healthy older adults with sleep complaints. One hundred healthy older adults aged 60–70 years with sleep complaints will be randomly allocated to one of four groups: a physical exercise training group ( n = 25), a physical exercise training combined with bright light exposure group ( n = 25), a galvanic vestibular stimulation group ( n = 25) or a control group (i.e., health education) ( n = 25). While physical exercise training and health education will be supervised via videoconference at home, bright light exposure (for the physical exercise training combined with bright light exposure group) and vestibular stimulation will be self-administered at home. Pre-and post-tests will be conducted to evaluate various parameters, including sleep (polysomnography, subjective questionnaires), circadian rhythms (actigraphy, temperature), fitness (physical: VO 2 peak, muscular function; and motor: balance, and functional mobility), cognition (executive function, long-term memory), quality of life and mood (anxiety and depression). The findings will be anticipated to inform the development of recommendations and non-pharmaceutical preventive strategies for enhancing sleep quality in older adults, potentially leading to improvements in fitness, cognition, quality of life, and mood throughout aging.
... Another option is fitness exercise that can be done at home, indoors or outdoors, or as a commuting exercise in the morning as well as in the afternoon. Both options are known to improve mood and sleep as such (Amiri et al., 2021;Chambe et al., 2023;Heissel et al., 2023;Reis et al., 2023) or in combination (Leppämäki et al., 2002), thereby favoring countermeasures against climate change. ...
... Serotonin is related to feelings of happiness and fulfillment. Leppämäki at al. [38] divided 80 study participants into two groups, one exercising outdoors in bright light, while the other did that in normal indoor conditions. Authors concluded that the exercise was significantly effective at alleviating atypical depressive symptoms when combined with exposure to sunshine. ...
There are many indications that weather conditions influence human life and well-being. Some of these indicators, such as the influence of weather on human health, have been explored in detail. On the other hand, the influence of daily fluctuations of different meteorological variables on the human psychological state still remains unknown. We apply combined methods from statistics, psychology, machine learning, and complex networks theory to explore the influence of weather parameters on different psychological categories of Twitter users in ten different countries. Our results show that the temperature, pressure, and humidity are highly correlated with Twitter users' activity, sense, and affect. Our comparative analysis for different countries shows that the strongest correlation was found for the USA, Italy, and Portugal, indicating differences between countries. However, our results show that the level of activity of Twitter users, described as Post Count, is strongly connected to changes in temperature and humidity in all countries. We use complex networks theory to explore these connections and differences between countries further. Our findings suggest that weather parameters can be used to predict Twitter users' activity and psychological manifestations, which can be beneficial to marketing and advertising.
... The second aim is to determine whether the addition of remotely monitored self-administered BLE to videoconference physical exercise training can optimize the sleep improvements. Investigations concerning the impact of combining these two synchronizers are still rare and only concern quality of life and mood (72,73) and none on sleep. ...
Background: Aging is characterized by substantial changes in sleep architecture that negatively impact physical fitness, quality of life, mood or cognitive functioning. Older adults often fail to reach the recommended amount of physical activity to prevent the age-related decline sleep function, partly because of geographical barriers. Home-based interventions could overcome these barriers preventing older adults from being active, and administration through videoconference may be an optimal solution. Increasing the availability of synchronisers such as physical activity, light exposure or vestibular stimulation is a good non-pharmacological strategy for circadian rhythms entrainment and could strengthen the sleep-wake cycle and thus improve sleep in the ageing subject. The aims of this study are (1) to evaluate the effects of a remote physical exercise training and a remote physical exercise training combined with bright light exposure, and (2) to study the specific contribution of galvanic vestibular stimulation on sleep in healthy older adults with sleep complaint.
Methods: One hundred healthy older adults (60-70 years old) with sleep complaint will be randomized to a physical exercise training group (n=25), a physical exercise training combined with bright light exposure group (n=25), a galvanic vestibular stimulation group (n=25) or a control group (i.e. health education) (n=25). While physical exercise training and health education will be supervised by videoconference at home, bright light exposure (from the physical exercise training combined with bright light exposure group) and vestibular stimulation will be self-administered at home. Pre- and post- tests will be performed to assess: sleep (polysomnography, subjective questionnaires), circadian rhythms (actigraphy, temperature), physical fitness (VO2peak, muscular function, postural control and functional mobility), cognition (executive function, long-term memory), quality of life and mood (anxiety and depression).
Discussion: The results should support the development of recommendations and non-pharmaceutical preventive strategies to maintain or even improve sleep quality in older adults and, consequently, to improve physical fitness, cognition, quality of life and mood throughout aging.
Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT05030389. Registered on September - retrospectively registered.
... Snow and ice may limit mobility, evoke senses of boredom, fear, and isolation, and cause concerns related to safety and vulnerability (Finlay, 2018). Snow and ice might also aggregate depression and seasonal affective disorder and even increase suicide risk (Leppämäki et al., 2002;Rind, 1996). People engaging in ice and snow-covered alpine-based outdoor recreation are also prone to falling injuries (Selig et al., 2012), frostbite (Ströhle et al., 2018a), mountain sickness (Imray et al., 2010), and lightning strikes (Ströhle et al., 2018b). ...
Numerous studies have highlighted the physical and mental health benefits of contact with nature, typically in landscapes characterized by plants (i.e., “greenspace”) and water (i.e., “bluespace”). However, natural landscapes are not always green or blue, and the effects of other landscapes are worth attention. This narrative review attempts to overcome this limitation of past research.
Rather than focusing on colors, we propose that natural landscapes are composed of at least one of three components: (1) plants (e.g., trees, flowering plants, grasses, sedges, mosses, ferns, and algae), (2) water (e.g., rivers, canals, lakes, oceans), and/or (3) rocks and minerals, including soil. Landscapes not dominated by plants or liquid-state water include those with abundant solid-state water (e.g., polar spaces) and rocks or minerals (e.g., deserts, caves). Possible health benefits of solid-state water or rock/mineral dominated landscapes include both shorter-term (e.g., viewing images) and longer-term (e.g., living in these landscapes) exposure durations. Reported benefits span improved emotional and mental states and medical treatment resources for respiratory conditions and allergies. Restorative and instorative mechanisms underlying health benefits consist of commonly discussed theories in the “greenspace” and “bluespace” literature, as well as less discussed pathways in that literature (i.e., post-traumatic growth theory, supportive environment theory, and place attachment).
This is the first review to draw attention to the potential salutogenic value of natural landscapes beyond “greenspace” and “bluespace.” It is also among the first to highlight the limitations and confusion that result from classifying natural landscapes using color. Since the extant literature on natural landscapes - beyond those with abundant plants or liquid-state water - is limited in regard to quantity and quality, additional research is needed to understand their restorative potential and therapeutic possibilities.
... Following Smith (2016) this demonstration uses St. Louis, MO for its sunrise times, since it is the closest city to the population weighted center of the US. This figure shows the cumulative wake-up times for Americans overlaid with the average sunrise times for the first week after the Spring and Fall transitions and the last week before the Fall and Spring transitions reduces the incidence of suicide; Benedetti et al. (2001) finds that sunlight reduces length of hospitalization stays for patients with bipolar depression; Leppämäki et al. (2002) show that exercise is much more likely to reduce symptoms of depression when combined with exposure to natural light; and Kim et al. (2021) show that air pollution and lack of sunlight are associated with an increased risk of depression. However, there is also evidence to the contrary. ...
This paper estimates the impact of Daylight Saving Time (DST) on deaths from suicide and substance abuse in the United States. Using Multiple Cause‐of‐Death Mortality Data from the National Vital Statistics System of the National Center for Health Statistics from 1979 to 1988, the effect is identified in two ways: a regression discontinuity design that exploits discrete time changes in the Spring and Fall; and a fixed effects model that uses a policy change and a switching mechanism that introduces random variation to DST's start and end dates. This is one of the first attempts to estimate the impact of DST on deaths due to suicide and substance abuse and the first to use either identification strategy. The results from both methods suggest that the sleep disruptions during the Spring transition cause the suicide rate to rise by 6.25 percent and the death rate from suicide and substance abuse combined to increase by 6.59 percent directly after the time change. There is no evidence for any change in these outcomes during the Fall transition. The contrasting results from Spring to Fall suggest the entire effect can be attributed to disruptions in sleep patterns rather than changes in ambient light exposure.
... Repeated exposure in the winter to at least 1 h of light reduced depressive symptoms in healthy office workers with or without winter-related mood symptoms (Partonen & Lönnqvist, 2000). Similarly, combining bright light exposure with exercise over an 8-week period significantly reduced depressive symptoms in healthy adults compared with exercise in normal indoor illumination (Leppämäki et al., 2002). ...
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders, predicted to be the leading cause of disease burden by the next decade. There is great deal of emphasis on the central origin and potential therapeutics of depression whereby the symptomatology of depression has been interpreted and treated as brain generated dysfunctions filtering down to the periphery. This top‐down approach has found strong support from clinical work and basic neuroscientific research. Nevertheless, despite great advances in our knowledge of the etiology and therapeutics of depression, success in treatment is still by no means assured.. As a consequence, a wide net has been cast by both clinicians and researchers in search of more efficient therapies for mood disorders. As a complementary view, the present integrative review advocates approaching mood and depression from the opposite perspective: a bottom‐up view that starts from the periphery. Specifically, evidence is provided to show that sensory stimulation via the visual, auditory, olfactory and gustatory systems can modulate depression. The review shows how ‐depending on several parameters‐ unisensory stimulation via these modalities can ameliorate or aggravate depressive symptoms. Moreover, the review emphasizes the bidirectional relationship between sensory stimulation and depression. Just as peripheral stimulation can modulate depression, depression in turn affects‐and in most cases impairs‐sensory reception. Furthermore, the review suggests that combined use of multisensory stimulation may have synergistic ameliorative effects on depressive symptoms over and above what has so far been documented for unisensory stimulation.
... However, there is no significant impact found on mood when the effect is assessed objectively. The research in the aerobic rooms with 400 -600 lx and 2500 -4000 lx concludes that positive mood effects are enhanced with exposure to bright light [92] rather than 'ordinary' less bright lighting. Regarding the moods of individuals exposed to repeated 2500 lx bright light during winter, one study clearly indicates that the intensity of depressive symptoms in healthy workers was reduced. ...
... In the present case, the light-a-lamp event may have changed people's mood either by their participation or by watching the media coverage, including on social media. Existing studies provide ample evidence that light and involvement in physical activities play a crucial role in elevating people's mood (see, Leppämäki et al. 2002;Stephenson et al. 2012;Fernandez et al. 2018). We believe the lighta-lamp event may have reduced people's stress and anxiety during the lockdown period, which, in turn, may have a positive effect on investment decisions in risky assets. ...
In this study, we investigate the impact of the light-a-lamp event that occurred in India during the COVID-19 lockdown. This event happened across the country, and millions of people participated in it. We link this event to the stock market through investor sentiment and misattribution bias. We find a 9% hike in the market return on the post-event day. The effect is heterogeneous in terms of beta, downside risk, volatility, and financial distress. We also find an increase (decrease) in long-term bond yields (price), which together suggests that market participants demanded risky assets in the post-event day.
... As a result, it is very important on one side in the stimulation of workers and students [11], and on the other side depressed [12][13][14] and elderly people [15]. With bright light and physical exercise can be treated with success seasonal affective depressive symptom; both can follow up on the aggravated circadian accuracy giving an added substance impact on mind-set [16]. Older people suffer from chronic sleeping problems and insomnia. ...
... As a result, it is very important on one side in the stimulation of workers and students [11], and on the other side depressed [12][13][14] and elderly people [15]. With bright light and physical exercise can be treated with success seasonal affective depressive symptom; both can follow up on the aggravated circadian accuracy giving an added substance impact on mind-set [16]. Older people suffer from chronic sleeping problems and insomnia. ...
During the last three decades, various scientific researchers analysed the connection between natural elements and human life, both as far as well-being and productivity. This study simulates circadian lighting metrics on elderly occupants in a healthcare residence, with different types of metrics. It presents an application of some metrics that try to quantify the effects of natural light on the human being. Circadian Action Factor, Circadian Stimulus, and Equivalent Melanopic Lux are considered. Starting from the spectral power distribution parameter, the three metrics are compared. The final aim is to build up a standard technique to represent the effect of key design choices on the accomplishment of endorsed circadian framework boost for healthcare residences occupied by elderly people.
... Prior studies have established that, by priming affect, the physical environment can influence decision making and behavior (e.g., Baum and Davis 1976;Bell et al. 2001). In particular, extensive studies provide empirical support for the common intuition that brighter weather induces positive affect (e.g., Howarth and Hoffman 1984;Larrick et al. 2011;Leppämäki et al. 2002;Schwarz and Clore 1983). 3 People self-report higher levels of overall life satisfaction on sunny days than on cloudy days, even though their circumstances do not change meaningfully with the day's weather (Schwarz and Clore 1983). ...
This study examines the influence of mood (‘affect’) on corporate philanthropic giving. Drawing on group emotions theory and affect-infused decision theory, we advance the argument that firms allocate greater resources to philanthropy when headquarters-based employees are in a more positive affective state. We also describe three boundary conditions in this relationship—executives’ embeddedness in the firm, executives’ latitude to engage in philanthropic giving, and the firm’s track record of corporate social irresponsibility. We test our arguments using a longitudinal dataset of philanthropic giving by U.S. firms. Our study contributes to the literature by shedding light on the role of affect in shaping the decision to allocate resources to corporate philanthropy.
... As a consequence, it is very important in the stimulation of: on one hand workers and students (Vandawalle, et al., 2006), and on the other hand depressed (Monteggia & Kavalali, 2012) (LeGates, et al., 2014) (Van Hoof, et al., 2009) and elderly people (Hanford & Figueiro, 2013). With exposure to bright light and physical exercise can be treated with success seasonal affective depressive symptoms; both can act on the disturbed circadian clockwork giving an additive effect on mood (Leppamaki, et al., 2002). Older people suffer from chronic sleeping problems and insomnia. ...
During the last 15 years, several studies have investigated the relationship between environmental signals, such as light and human reaction, both in terms of health and productivity parameters. This paper presents a sample application of the Circadian Action Factor (a cv) and Circadian Stimulus (CS) metrics with the aim of determining the potential impact of natural daylight and electrical lighting on elderly occupants in an healthcare residence, in terms of health related needs. The work attempts to compare two different metrics to propose an application protocol for the integration of circadian indexes evaluation into building design. The proposed comparative analysis is based on the spectral power distribution parameter (SPD). The aim of the work is to develop a standard method to account for the impact of key architectural decisions on the achievement of prescribed circadian system stimulus for healthcare residences occupied by elderly people.
... Also, investors take more optimistic positions on firms in brighter weather than in cloudier weather Saunders, 1993). Second, research on the impact of affect on decision making is built primarily on studies of mild incidental affect (e.g., Johnson & Tversky, 1983;Keller, Lipkus, & Rimer, 2002;Townsend & Campbell, 2004)-the kind of affect induced by sunny weather (Leppämäki, Partonen, & Lönnqvist, 2002;Schwarz & Clore, 1983). As individuals tend not to attend consciously to background conditions that give rise to changes in mild incidental affect, such stimuli are thought to have a pronounced impact on decision making (Isen, 2008). ...
We advance behavioral agency theory by exploring the influence of mood or “affect” on the behavioral consequences of stock option incentives. Drawing on insights from psychology and behavioral decision theory, we describe how affect influences agent risk behavior. We argue that positive affect amplifies both the extent to which executives reduce strategic risk taking in response to risk bearing and engage in strategic risk taking in response to incentives for further enrichment. Building again on the psychology literature, we describe how CEO accountability attenuates the influence of affect on CEO risk behavior in response to stock option incentives. We test our expectations in a longitudinal data set of CEO stock option incentives, affect, and strategic risk taking by U.S. firms.
... 122 There is some weak evidence that the use of tryptophan has some benefits in the treatment of SAD 123,124 and probably also in those responding poorly or not at all to LT. 125 Physical exercise, either by itself, or in combination with LT, has also been shown to have a positive effect on mood in SAD patients. 126,127 Prevention Since winter depression is by definition a recurrent disease, efforts have been made to find treatment options for the prevention of the next full-blown depressive episode. Preventive treatment options are based on exposure to light, medication, and CBT. ...
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), winter type, is a seasonal pattern of recurrent major depressive episodes most commonly occurring in autumn or winter and remitting in spring/summer. The syndrome has been well-known for more than three decades, with light treatment being the treatment of first choice. In this paper, an overview is presented of the present insights in SAD. Description of the syndrome, etiology, and treatment options are mentioned. Apart from light treatment, medication and psychotherapy are other treatment options. The predictable, repetitive nature of the syndrome makes it possible to discuss preventive treatment options. Furthermore, critical views on the concept of SAD as a distinct diagnosis are discussed.
... An improvement in mood following physical activity is generally a common finding in the literature across multiple exercise settings in both healthy and clinical populations (Berger & Motl, 2000). The same is true for life quality assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire measures, again both in clinical (Vilsteren et al., 2005;Devos-Comby et al., 2006) and healthy populations (Partonen et al., 1998;Lepp€ am€ aki et al., 2002). Therefore, overall, the present results are in line with previous findings. ...
Exercise increases wellbeing and improves mood. It is however unclear how these mood changes relate to brain function. We conducted a randomized controlled trial investigating resting state modifications in healthy adults after an extended period of aerobic physical exercise and their relationship with mood improvements. We aimed to identify novel functional networks whose activity could provide a physiological counterpart to the mood-related benefits of exercise. Thirty-eight healthy sedentary volunteers were randomised to either the aerobic exercise group of the study or a control group. Participants in the exercise group attended aerobic sessions with a physiotherapist twice a week for 16 weeks. Resting state modifications using magnetic resonance imaging were assessed before and after the programme and related to mood changes. An unbiased approach using graph metrics and network based statistics was adopted. Exercise reduced mood disturbance and improved emotional wellbeing. It also induced a decrease of local efficiency in the parahippocampal lobe through strengthening of the functional connections from this structure to the supramarginal gyrus, precentral area, superior temporal gyrus and temporal pole. Changes in mood disturbance following exercise were correlated with those in connectivity between parahippocampal gyrus and superior temporal gyrus as well as with the amount of training. No changes were detected in the control group. In conclusion, connectivity from the parahippocampal gyrus to motor, sensory integration and mood regulation areas was strengthened through exercise. These functional changes might be related to the benefits of regular physical activity on mood. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
... Thus, it is important to bear in mind that initial acceptance is one of the major difficulties of the use of PE as a treatment (Schuch and Fleck, 2013). Moreover, the first two months of PE intervention coincided with decreased exposure to bright light that associated with key symptoms of MDD (such as tiredness, lack of motivation, loss of energy and generalized fatigue) and that can be a barrier to attendance (Leppamaki et al., 2002). According to Rimer et al. (2012), it is of utmost importance for researchers to define motivational strategies with the aim of reducing dropout rates. ...
... An improvement in mood following physical activity is generally a common finding in the literature across multiple exercise settings in both healthy and clinical populations (Berger & Motl, 2000). The same is true for life quality assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire measures, again both in clinical (Vilsteren et al., 2005;Devos-Comby et al., 2006) and healthy populations (Partonen et al., 1998;Lepp€ am€ aki et al., 2002). Therefore, overall, the present results are in line with previous findings. ...
... Specifically, we assume in this study that a longer sunshine duration and higher temperatures have a positive influence on affect in the winter, based on previous findings in the literature (Cunningham 1979, Keller et al. 2005, Kripke 1998, Leppämäki et al. 2002, Parrott and Sabini 1990, Schwarz and Clore 1983, Stain-Malmgren et al. 1998). Furthermore, we assume that cloudiness, mistiness and long periods of precipitation (i.e., a lack of sunshine) lead to sadness. ...
Many important decisions are made without precise information about the probabilities of the outcomes. In such situations, individual ambiguity attitudes influence decision making. The present study identifies affective states as a transient cause of ambiguity attitudes. We conducted two random-assignment, incentive-compatible laboratory experiments, varying subjects’ affective states. We find that sadness induces choices that are closer to ambiguity-neutral attitudes compared with the joy, fear, and control groups, where decision makers deviate more from payoff-maximizing behaviors and are more susceptible to likelihood insensitivity. We also find a similar pattern in a representative population sample where cloudy weather conditions on the day of the survey -- a proxy for sad affect -- correlate with more ambiguity-neutral attitudes. Our results may help explain real-world phenomena such as financial markets that react to regular fluctuations in weather conditions.
... Recent scholarship in the health care community has suggested that exposure to light can significantly reduce the severity of SAD in susceptible individuals. Various studies have recorded considerable success with using artificial sunlight to treat winter SAD (Thalen, Kjellman, Mokrid, & Wetterberg, 1991;Lam et al., 2006;Glickman, Byrne, Pineda, Hauck, & Brainard, 2006;Kripke, 1998;Stain-Malmgen, Kjellman, & Aberg-Wistedt, 1998), even among those who are not depressed (Leppamaki, Partonen, & Lonnquist, 2002). ...
... For example, the intensity of fitness training was not measured or maintained at a set level. Similar results were found in a study examining the effect of a combination of exercise and bright light on mood symptoms in a healthy, nondepressed sample (Lappamaki,Partonen, & Lonnqvist, 2002). Exercise both in normal indoor lighting and combined with bright light was effective in reducing depressive symptoms. ...
Historically, research on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) has focused primarily on physiological hypotheses regarding etiology and maintenance. Recently research has also begun to investigate psychological and psychophysiological correlates of the disorder. The relation of activity level to SAD episode development, maintenance and recurrence, however, has not been investigated thoroughly. In this study, relationships between self-report (i.e., questionnaires and logs) and objective (i.e., actigraphy) measurements of activity and SAD were investigated. Also, the relationship between quantitative (i.e., number of activities or activity counts) and qualitative (i.e., activity enjoyment) aspects of activity and SAD were examined. It was hypothesized that individuals with SAD would experience activity levels that differed from those of controls. Various components of activity were examined (e.g., daytime activity, activity during sleep). In addition, the importance of activity enjoyment was also investigated. Individuals with a history of SAD (SAD-HX), individuals with a diagnosis of major depression (MDD), and controls were each assessed twice: in the winter and subsequent summer, or the summer and subsequent winter. At each measurement occasion, general depression symptoms, automatic negative thoughts, attitudes towards the seasons, motor activity levels, activity frequency and enjoyment of activities were assessed. In general, the results of this study supported the hypothesis that certain aspects of the activity patterns of individuals with a SAD-HX differ from those of controls. Although individuals with a SAD-HX did not differ from controls in objectively measured daytime activity, participants with a SAD-HX exhibited disrupted nocturnal activity patterns compared to controls. In addition, individuals with a SAD-HX differed from controls with regard to self-reported activities. Participants with a SAD-HX reported participating in fewer activities and enjoying these activities less than controls. The current study provides continued support for the contribution of cognitive factors that may relate to SAD episode recurrence and severity. Individuals with a SAD-HX exhibited patterns of negative thinking and styles of responding similar to individuals with major depression even during asymptomatic months. Implications of these findings for SAD research and treatment in general and for future SAD research are discussed.
... The same effect accompanies artificial sunlight. If people are exposed to artificial sunlight, this leads to an improvement in affective well-being in both depressive and healthy subjects (Jacobsen et al. 1987;Kripke 1998;Leppämäki et al. 2002;Canbeyli 2010). This positive influence of sunlight on people's moods is explained by a light-induced increase in serotonin in the brain. ...
This paper seeks to analyze the influence of the weather on a person’s self-reported life satisfaction. On a theoretical level, it is claimed that ‘nice’ weather can improve the affective well-being of a person. Given this, it is argued that affects can, in turn, have an impact on that person’s general assessment of his or her life. In particular, it is expected that people would report a higher life satisfaction on days with unambiguously ‘nice’ weather. Data from three German large-scale surveys are used to test empirically to what extent self-reported life satisfaction is determined by the weather. All in all, the results are mostly consistent with the initial hypothesis. In all three samples those respondents surveyed on days with exceptionally sunny weather reported a higher life satisfaction compared to respondents interviewed on days with ‘ordinary’ weather. In two out of three samples, this difference was statistically significant. Hence, the supposed sunshine effect on peoples’ life satisfaction does indeed exist. Implications of these findings are discussed in a conclusion.
Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund
Die psychische Gesundheit ist ein wesentlicher Bestandteil der allgemeinen Gesundheit, und Präventionsmaßnahmen mit dem Ziel, diese Komponente der Gesundheit zu erhalten und zu fördern, haben in den letzten Jahrzehnten zunehmend an Bedeutung gewonnen. In Europa sind Depressionen der wichtigste Einzelfaktor für psychische Gesundheitsprobleme. Die hohe Prävalenz und die besonders hohe Krankheitslast von Depressionen begründen ein großes Interesse an wirksamen, früh einsetzenden, niedrigschwelligen und individuellen Präventionsmaßnahmen für die Allgemeinbevölkerung.
Ziel
Ziel dieses Beitrages ist es, einen Überblick über die Entwicklung und Struktur des evidenzbasierten Anwendungsprogramms „Anima Mentis“ zur Förderung der psychischen Gesundheit und Prävention psychischer Erkrankungen zu geben.
Ergebnis
Basierend auf einer narrativen Literaturrecherche zur Identifizierung evidenzbasierter Interventionen wurden Erkenntnisse zu monosensorischen und multisensorischen Stimulationen zur Reduktion depressiver Symptome und zur Förderung des psychischen Wohlbefindens in das Programm „Anima Mentis“ überführt. Dieses modular aufgebaute Programm wird in einem Behandlungszentrum mit verschiedenen Raumkonzepten wie Bewegungsraum, Lichtraum, Virtual Reality (VR)-Raum, Nature-360°-Kino und Sinnesraum umgesetzt.
Schlussfolgerung
Das Praxisprojekt „Anima Mentis“ verfolgt einen personalisierten Ansatz zur Förderung der psychischen Gesundheit. Dieses Konzept bietet das Potenzial, in verschiedene Versorgungseinrichtungen wie z. B. die betriebliche Gesundheitsförderung integriert zu werden. Um die Evidenzlage zur multisensorischen Stimulation zu erweitern und Einblicke in spezifische Nutzergruppen, insbesondere im präventiven Kontext, zu gewinnen, ist zukünftige Forschung notwendig.
Despite the well-known physical and mental health benefits of regular exercise, many of the world’s population, including healthy young adults, grossly undershoot recommended physical activity levels. Chronic exercise has potential to improve cognitive performance and affect in most age groups. However, there is currently a poverty of relevant research in young adults, especially randomised controlled trials. To address this, the current research investigated the effects of a running intervention on neuropsychological function (cognition and affect) in young adults. We predicted that following a running intervention, neuropsychological performance would improve alongside increases in aerobic fitness. Thirty-two healthy young adult university students were randomised (using a 3:1 ratio) into an intervention or control group, with the intervention group ( n = 24) asked to run for 30 min three times a week over a 6-week period and the control group ( n = 8) asked to maintain their current level of exercise over a 6-week period. We assessed fitness, cognitive performance, affect and running enjoyment at baseline and follow-up, and runners recorded the environmental conditions of their runs. Repeated measures ANCOVAs failed to find any significant effects of the running intervention on fitness or the neuropsychological measures. Anecdotal evidence supported running environment and enjoyment as potentially relevant factors. The failure to find any fitness improvements, which likely underpins the lack of neuropsychological improvements, highlights the importance of monitoring exercise sessions. Coupled with other insights gained from this trial, this article may prove useful towards future endeavours to develop exercise interventions beneficial to young adults.
TRN: ACTRN12621000242820, Date of registration: 08/03/2021.
A sedentary lifestyle can be called an epidemic of the XXI century. Meanwhile, there are a large number of scientific studies proving that the lack of physical activity can lead to serious malfunctions in the functioning of all body systems, including the nervous system. Disturbance in the structure and functioning of the brain leads to a deterioration in cognitive functions and an increase in the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. On the other hand, a moderately high level of physical activity can improve the functioning of the brain and increase the structural and cognitive reserve, which will help the nervous system to adapt to age-related changes effectively. Walking and running are one of the most common types of exercise, and can be present even in the lives of people who are not involved in sports activities. It has been shown that even low-intensity walking can contribute to cognitive improvements for people of any age and gender. Moderate-intensity running, in particular endurance running, also has a positive effect on the structure and functioning of the brain. The main effects of walking and running relate primarily to memory and executive functions, which is true for both humans and animals.
This paper provides evidence from a natural experiment on the relationship between positive affect and productivity. We link highly detailed administrative data on the behaviors and performance of all telesales workers at a large telecommunications company with survey reports of employee happiness that we collected on a weekly basis. We use variation in worker mood arising from visual exposure to weather—the interaction between call center architecture and outdoor weather conditions—to provide a quasi-experimental test of the effect of happiness on productivity. We find evidence of a positive impact on sales performance, which is driven by changes in labor productivity—largely through workers converting more calls into sales and to a lesser extent by making more calls per hour and adhering more closely to their schedule. We find no evidence in our setting of effects on measures of high-frequency labor supply such as attendance and break-taking.
This paper was accepted by Yuval Rottenstreich, behavioral economics and decision analysis.
Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4766 .
A report to the Ministry of the Environment (Finland) on daylight regulation and assessment methods
Air pollution has become a daunting challenge with the potential to endanger people’s lives across the globe. However, little is known about the psychological and vocational implications of air pollution. Drawing on feeling-as-information theory, we investigate the within-person relationships of ambient air pollution with vocational and general well-being outcomes (i.e., career choice anxiety and state optimism) through the mediating mechanism of mood state. We tested our hypotheses using an experience sampling method (ESM) with survey data from 67 undergraduate students in South Korea collected over 10 consecutive days. Results showed that daily ambient air pollution predicted higher career choice anxiety and lower state optimism via an increased negative mood. Furthermore, the indirect relation of air pollution with career choice anxiety was found to be stronger for individuals with lower family socioeconomic status. In a supplementary study, we interviewed 16 undergraduate students in South Korea to explain the ESM results in greater depth. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as study limitations, are discussed.
Light can impact human health via the visual and non-visual systems originating in the retina of the eye or as optical radiation falling on eye or skin. This paper provides a summary of what is known about these impacts. Topics covered include aspects of lighting likely to cause eyestrain and headaches; increase the risk of falls; induce circadian disruption; enhance sleep; mitigate Alzheimer’s disease and depression; produce tissue damage; alleviate diseases through phototherapy and inactivate viruses through germicidal irradiation. It is concluded that human health is undoubtedly influenced by lighting, but there are four conditions that should be attached to such a simple assertion. First, the impact of lighting on human health can be either positive or negative. Second, human health is affected by many factors other than lighting. Third, the severity of the effects of light exposure can vary widely from the short-lived and trivial to the long-term and fatal. Fourth, the same lighting conditions can have very different health impacts for different individuals depending on their age and medical status. Taken together, these conditions imply that care is required when judging the veracity and relevance of broad assertions about the benefits of lighting for human health.
Изложены принципы профилактики, диагностики и лечения терапевтически резистентных депрессий (ТРД). Описаны механизмы формирования терапевтической резистентности, объяснены принципы ее профилактики, методы дифференциальной диагностики резистентных состояний разных видов.
Разобраны возможные схемы комбинирования антидепрессантов различных групп, изложены наиболее известные методики нефармакологического воздействия на организм с целью купирования резистентных состояний. Приведены особенности терапевтического подхода к лечению ТРД у больных особых категорий (беременные, кормящие матери, дети и подростки, пожилые пациенты, больные с коморбидными соматическими патологиями).
Адресовано психиатрам, психиатрам-наркологам, психотерапевтам, неврологам, анестезиологам-реаниматологам и другим специалистам, сталкивающимся с лечением психических заболеваний, а также пациентам и их родственникам.
Mood disorders (MDs) are chronic, recurrent mental diseases that affect millions of individuals worldwide. Although the biogenic amine model has provided some clinical utility, a need remains to better understand the interrelated mechanisms that contribute to neuroplasticity deficits in MDs and the means by which various therapeutics mitigate them. Of those therapeutics being investigated, physical activity (PA) has shown clear and consistent promise. Accordingly, the aims of this review are to (1) explicate key modulators, processes, and interactions that impinge upon multiple susceptibility points to effectuate neuroplasticity deficits in MDs; (2) explore the putative mechanisms by which PA mitigates these features; (3) review protocols used to induce the positive effects of PA in MDs; and (4) highlight implications for clinicians and researchers.
Zusammenfassung
Der Beitrag analysiert, inwieweit die Bewertung wirtschaftlicher und politischer Sachverhalte von der aktuellen Wetterlage abhängt. Auf der theoretischen Ebene werden solche Wetter-Effekte in zwei Argumentationsschritten begründet: Zum einen wird der Einfluss des Wetters auf die Stimmung von Personen und zum anderen wird der Effekt der Stimmung einer Person auf ihre Einschätzung von Situationen und Sachverhalten rekonstruiert. Um den Zusammenhang zwischen Wetterlage und Einschätzung empirisch testen zu können, werden ALLBUS-Daten mit Wetterdaten regionalspezifisch verknüpft, „schöne“ und „schlechte“ Befragungstage identifiziert und deren Einfluss auf die Einschätzung der zukünftigen Wirtschaftslage, auf die Demokratiezufriedenheit und die Zufriedenheit mit den Leistungen der Bundesregierung untersucht. Die Analysen weisen auf einen positiven Einfluss von schönem Wetter und einen negativen Einfluss von schlechtem Wetter auf die Einschätzung der drei Sachverhalte hin. Personen, die an besonders sonnigen Tagen befragt wurden, waren mit der Demokratie sowie der Regierungsarbeit überdurchschnittlich zufrieden und bewerteten die wirtschaftliche Lage positiver, während Personen, die an regnerischen Tagen befragt wurden, die drei Sachverhalte überdurchschnittlich negativ einschätzten. Diese Befunde bieten interessante Implikationen für die wissenschaftliche und kommerzielle Umfrageforschung.
While it has long been believed in psychology that weather somehow influences human's mood, the debates have been going on for decades about how they are correlated. In this paper, we try to study this long-lasting topic by harnessing a new source of data compared from traditional psychological researches: Twitter. We analyze 2 years' twitter data collected by twitter API which amounts to 10% of all postings and try to reveal the correlations between multiple dimensional structure of human mood with meteorological effects. Some of our findings confirm existing hypotheses, while others contradict them. We are hopeful that our approach, along with the new data source, can shed on the long-going debates on weather-mood correlation.
Changes associated with the seasons affect climatic and environmental conditions across the globe. Environmental temperatures, hours of daylight and precipitation vary according to latitude and the prevailing season. Biological and cultural adaptations have enabled humans to inhabit the major climatic regions. Environmental and climatic changes during the annual cycle often force humans to change their social behaviour and the range and amount of physical activity. Such seasonal changes can have a detrimental effect on human health. Seasonal adjustment in human activity and behaviour also influence the physical fitness levels of individuals which alter with the quality of training inputs. The competitive sports calendar determines the circannual variations in training of athletes and their performance peaks. Notwithstanding the seasonal variability observed in physiological variables, the major influences on circannual rhythms appear to be the dimensions of the training programmes employed by athletes. Specific sports are biased towards winter or summer peaks, whereas indoor facilities provide an environment sheltered from the forces of nature and thus promote all-year-round activity. Weather conditions and surface characteristics have consequences for injury risk and the quality of performance. It is concluded that activity and fitness levels are more a function of organisational and external factors than are endogenous circannual rhythms.
Abstract
Background: The present article addresses the
links between the real-estate factors of the workspace
on employee satisfaction and their impact
on the overall health of employees. The purpose
of the research is to facilitate the improvement
of employee health through the application of
base parameters, and consequently, the changes
of workspace and work processes. The research
tests two hypotheses: real-estate factors have a
significant impact on employee satisfaction with
the workspace; and that satisfaction of employ218
Zdrav Vestn | marec 2014 | Letnik 83
Izvirni članek/Original article
ees with the workspace has a significant impact
on the overall health of employees.
Methodology: We carried out a quantitative research
with a broad range of different questions,
scales and differentials, whereby the majority
of instruments was originally constructed with
suitable measurement characteristics. Testing of
the questionnaire with the method of internal
consistency showed that the questionnaire demonstrates
a high level of consistency. The entire
questionnaire includes 163 variables divided into
content sections: general questions, business
building and workspace, workspace design, habits,
conditions in the workspace, organisational
culture, health care, physical health condition,
mental health condition. In July and August
2010, the questionnaire was completed by 1,036
employees from entities in the service sector, i.e.
the financial sector, health sector, civil service
and others. All the respondents included in the
research sample worked in offices. The questionnaire
was anonymous in accordance with ethical
standards. The results were statistically analysed
with the application of factor analysis, which
served as a basis for identifying the important
factors, while we applied structural equation
modelling for verifying the statistically significant
mutual effects. Furthermore, we analysed
the results and carried out statistical calculations
to test the hypotheses.
Results: The results show that real-estate factors
of the workspace – both in terms of the assessment
of business building and position of the
employee, as well as the workspace design – have
an impact on the satisfaction of employees, and
consequently, their assessment of health. On the
basis of solutions of structural equation modelling,
we established that: the cleanliness of the
workspace, lighting of the workspace, orientation
of the workspace, regulation of lighting
and regulation of air-conditioning in the premises,
have a statistically significant impact on the
satisfaction of employees with the workspace.
With the aid of factor analysis and analysis of
the structural equation modelling, as well as in
accordance with the set hypotheses, we tested
whether the ‘employment satisfaction’ factor affects
the ‘overall health’ factor. We established a
significant negative link between these two factors.
Conclusions: We established a statistically significant
impact of real-estate factors of the workspace
on the satisfaction of employees, and consequently,
the assessment of their overall health.
We highlight the need for additional analysis and
research of the effect of relevant factors on the
health of employees, as well as monitoring thereof
through preventive and periodic testing of the
health of employees in the work environment
This study investigated fatigue, sleep quality, mental health and physical activity in paramedic shiftworkers. Although limited, previous studies have established high fatigue levels and poor health in this sector from shiftwork rostering and occupational demands. A modified version of the Standard Shiftwork Index was completed by 342 paramedics (243 male and 98 females). Single sample t tests found significantly higher levels of fatigue, depression, anxiety, and stress, and significantly poorer sleep quality than reference samples. Paramedics also reported less physical activity than community samples. Depression and sleep quality explained the greatest amount of variance in fatigue scores, followed by level of exercise. No differences were detected in levels of depression or fatigue on the basis of gender. The findings suggest that ambulance paramedic shiftworkers are at particular risk for increased levels of fatigue and depression (regardless of age or gender) and poor quality sleep. Organisational intervention was suggested.
In the 7 th century William Shakespeare wrote "A sad tale's best for winter". However, he was not the first who understood the power of light on our psyche. 2000 years ago Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, already acknowledged that the absence of light, particularly in winter, can produce diseases. Since then, the impact of light on mood and the use of bright light as a treatment-option for affective disorders have been studied extensively by scientists (for a review see Terman & Terman 2005). Light is the major zeitgeber for human circadian rhythms, much more powerful than social zeitgebers eg. work or school schedules (Challet 2007). Non-visual effects of light include hormone regulation, the synchronization of the circadian system, the regulation of body temperature, but also the regulation of cognition and alertness (Brainard et al. 2005; Lockley et al. 2006; Vandewalle et al. 2009; Dijket al. 2009; Cajochen et al. 2007). Bright light treatments are dating back to Lewy et al. (1987) who could demonstrate that exposure to bright white light (a mixed spectrum of wavelengths similar to day light) can adjust circadian rhythms and suppress melatonin. The most extensive clinical trials on bright light therapy have focused on seasonal affective disorders suggesting that light can modulate mood in the long term (Wirz-Justice et al. 2004). Today light therapy is used to treat different disorders like sleep disorders, affective disorders, dementia etc. (for a review see Shirani et al. 2009). This chapter will give an overview about the neurobiological basis for light therapy and discuss different mood disorders responsive to light therapy. Additionally, the influence of light on normal brain emotional processing will be discussed.
In old age, the circadian timing system loses optimal functioning. This process is even accelerated in Alzheimer's disease. Because pharmacological treatment of day-night rhythm disturbances usually is not very effective and may have considerable side effects, nonpharmacological treatments deserve attention. Bright light therapy has been shown to be effective. It is known from animal studies that increased activity, or an associated process, also strongly affects the circadian timing system, and the present study addresses the question of whether an increased level of physical activity may improve circadian rhythms in elderly. In the study, 10 healthy elderly males were admitted to a fitness training program for 3 months. The circadian rest-activity rhythm was assessed by means of actigraphy before and after the training period and again 1 year after discontinuation. As a control for possible seasonal effects, repeated actigraphic recordings were performed during the same times of the year as were the pre and post measurements in a control group of 8 healthy elderly males. Fitness training induced a significant reduction in the fragmentation of the rest-activity rhythm. Moreover, the fragmentation of the rhythm was negatively correlated with the level of fitness achieved after the training. No seasonal effect was found. Previous findings in human and animal studies are reviewed, and several possible mechanisms involved in the effect of fitness training on circadian rhythms are discussed. The results suggest that fitness training may be helpful in elderly people suffering from sleep problems related to circadian rhythm disturbances.
Vasomotor, somatic, and psychological symptoms associated with menopause are often treated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT), but the role of nonpharmacological interventions has received little attention. Two studies used the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and Women's Health Questionnaire (WHQ) to examine the effects of exercise among 4 groups of Australian women: premenopausal, perimenopausal, postmenopausal without HRT, and postmenopausal with HRT. Study 1, a comparison of exercisers and nonexercisers, showed that exercisers' moods were significantly more positive than sedentary women's moods, regardless of menopausal state. Exercising women also scored lower on somatic symptoms and memory-concentration difficulties. Study 2 examined the acute effects of aerobic exercise (premenopausal, postmenopausal without HRT, and postmenopausal with HRT) and found significant enhancements in mood and reductions in reported somatic and vasomotor symptoms immediately following an aerobic class. Exercise may assist in the alleviation of some menopausal symptoms.
Bright light therapy is the recommended treatment for winter seasonal affective disorder (SAD). However, the studies with the best placebo controls have not been able to demonstrate that light treatment has a benefit beyond its placebo effect.
Ninety-six patients with SAD completed the study. Patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments for 4 weeks, each 1.5 hours per day: morning light (average start time about 6 AM), evening light (average start about 9 PM), or morning placebo (average start about 6 AM). The bright light (approximately 6000 lux) was produced by light boxes, and the placebos were sham negative-ion generators. Depression ratings using the Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, SAD version (SIGH-SAD) were performed weekly.
There were no differences among the 3 groups in expectation ratings or mean depression scores after 4 weeks of treatment. However, strict response criteria revealed statistically significant differences; after 3 weeks of treatment morning light produced more of the complete or almost complete remissions than placebo. By 1 criterion (24-item SIGH-SAD score <50% of baseline and < or =8), 61% of the patients responded to morning light, 50% to evening light, and 32% to placebo after 4 weeks of treatment.
Bright light therapy had a specific antidepressant effect beyond its placebo effect, but it took at least 3 weeks for a significant effect to develop. The benefit of light over placebo was in producing more of the full remissions.
Subthreshold conditions (i.e. not meeting full diagnostic criteria for mental disorders in DSM-IV or ICD-10) are prevalent and associated with significant costs and disability. Observed more in primary care and community populations than in speciality settings, varying conceptualisations have been applied to define these conditions.
To examine definitional issues for subthreshold forms of depression (e.g. minor depression) and to suggest future directions for research and nosology in psychiatry and primary care.
A Medline search was conducted. The relevant articles were reviewed with regard to specific categories of information.
Studies applied a myriad of names and definitions for subthreshold depression with varying duration, symptom thresholds and exclusions. Prevalence rates also vary depending upon the definitions, settings and populations researched.
Future research needs to apply methodological and intellectual rigour and systematically consider a broader clinical and nosological context. In addition, collaboration between psychiatry and primary care on research and clinical issues is needed.
Background: Using bright light for treating major depressive disorders which are not seasonal needs reassessment. Methods: Clinical trials of light treatment for nonseasonal major depressive disorders were compared with selected trials of light treatment of winter depression and with antidepressant clinical drug trials. Results: Light treatment of nonseasonal depression produces net benefits in the range of 12–35%, often within 1 week. Conclusions: Light's value for nonseasonal and seasonal depression are comparable. Light appears to produce faster antidepressant benefits than psychopharmacologic treatment. Limitations: Direct randomizing comparisons between light and medications for nonseasonal depression are not available. Clinical relevance: Bright light can be combined with standard therapies for treating nonseasonal depressions and appears synergistic.
Though the concept of Major Depression was generated by clinicians using depressed inpatients as models, a polydiagnostic study in 600 psychiatric inpatients with heterogenous psychological disturbances revealed that all six competing operational definitions of Major Depression (including DSM-III-R and ICD-10) were too restrictive to serve as a general concept of depression. Another polydiagnostic study in 500 primary care outpatients showed that more than two-thirds of all non-chronic depressed cases were below the severity threshold of Major Depression: these patients are classified as Depression Not Otherwise Specified (NOS) by DSM-III-R. Loosening of the over-restrictive time criteria would broaden the concept of Major Depression so as to meet the requirements of a general concept of depression, while the definition of Minor Depression below the threshold of Major Depression would add to a reduction of cases of NOS Depression by more than 80%. For the evaluation of antidepressant drugs in outpatient samples, we propose that patients with these modified definitions of Major and Minor Depression be included, provided they meet a minimum severity criterion of 13 or more points on the Hamilton Depression Scale; four-fifths of the modified Major Depression group and one-third of the Minor Depression group do in fact meet this criterion.
The long-term effect of jogging on mental well-being and seasonal mood variation was examined in a randomized, controlled intervention study with healthy, middle-aged, sedentary, non-smoking, white collar subjects. 17 women and 39 men were allocated to jog 2 h/week for 4 months, whereas 16 women and 22 men served as controls. After 4 months, there was a partial cross-over with the controls now taking up jogging. After 8 study months, all 38 subjects of the second jogging intervention as well as 10 women and 30 men of the first 4-month jogging period were re-examined for the second time. All participants in the second re-examination were mailed a survey questionnaire one year after beginning of the study (response rate 83%). Despite varying adherence for the exercise regimen, the 4-month "net effects" (i.e. effect in exercise group minus effect in control group) showed a significant improvement in physical fitness (endurance capacity, resting heart rate) in men, but not in women. Among the mood scales assessed, "anger" showed a marginally significant effect in men (relative decrease; p = 0.05) and "calmness" a significant effect in women (relative increase; p = 0.02); after exclusion of 4 non-compliers from analysis in women, also "vigor" (relative increase; p = 0.03) and "depressiveness" (relative decrease; p = 0.02) were significantly improved after jogging. In women, the number of kilometers run was significantly correlated with an improvement in mental well-being (Pearson's r = 0.32 with change in 4 "positive" mood scales and r = 0.57 with change in 4 "negative" mood scales). Changes in endurance capacity were not significantly related to changes in mental well-being. However, in both women and men these mental effects of jogging were superposed by clear seasonal variations in mood, i.e. by a deterioration of mental well-being during the winter months and by a slow "remission" during summer. Taking jogging-induced and seasonal effects on mood together, the magnitude of the 1-year variability in mental well-being was somewhat attenuated in those study groups jogging, with this "buffering" effect reaching statistical significance in women (p = 0.050). We conclude from this training study with normal subjects that regular jogging of approximately 10 to 15 km/week may help to diminish the deterioration of mood observed during winter months (e.g. increase in depressiveness), especially in women. Hereby, a training-induced increase in endurance capacity is apparently not a prerequisite for this long-term mental effect of jogging.
For individuals who are just beginning to exercise, the very unfit, the elderly and persons suffering from psychiatric disorders, low intensity activity has important potential psychological benefits. Several studies indicate that mental health can be improved by low- or moderate-intensity activity. In 2 studies it could be demonstrated that aerobic exercise plus counselling was more effective in the treatment of depressive disorders than counselling alone. Cross-sectional community studies clearly reveal that after controlling for potential sociodemographic and health-related confounding variables the risk of depression is significantly higher for physically inactive individuals compared with regular exercisers. No final conclusions can be drawn from longitudinal field studies on the predictive value of physical activity on the degree of depressive symptoms. Several biological and psychological hypotheses have been proposed to explain the association between physical activity and mental health, however, there is still a lack of an integrated theoretical model.
Recently, Ware and Sherbourne published a new short-form health survey, the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), consisting of 36 items included in long-form measures developed for the Medical Outcomes Study. The SF-36 taps eight health concepts: physical functioning, bodily pain, role limitations due to physical health problems, role limitations due to personal or emotional problems, general mental health, social functioning, energy/fatigue, and general health perceptions. It also includes a single item that provides an indication of perceived change in health. The SF-36 items and scoring rules are distributed by MOS Trust, Inc. Strict adherence to item wording and scoring recommendations is required in order to use the SF-36 trademark. The RAND 36-Item Health Survey 1.0 (distributed by RAND) includes the same items as those in the SF-36, but the recommended scoring algorithm is somewhat different from that of the SF-36. Scoring differences are discussed here and new T-scores are presented for the 8 multi-item scales and two factor analytically-derived physical and mental health composite scores.
This paper addresses the current literature related to investigations of the link between exercise treatments and depression, anxiety and other mood states. Results from these investigations are supportive of the anti-depressant, anti-anxiety and mood enhancing effects of exercise programs. There were considered to be, however, a number of potential methodological problems in many of the research studies; the nature of these were considered. Finally, some possible directions for future research are outlined.
This paper reviews data concerning the effects of acute physical exercise (treadmill running) in trained rats. Works from the 1980's have established that acute running increases brain serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine: 5-HT) synthesis in two ways. Lipolysis-elicited release of free fatty acids in the blood compartment displaces the binding of the essential amino acid tryptophan to albumin, thereby increasing the concentration of the so-called "free tryptophan" portion, and because exercise increases the ratio of circulating free tryptophan to the sum of the concentrations of the amino acids that compete with tryptophan for uptake at the blood-brain barrier level, tryptophan enters markedly in the brain compartment. However, this marked increase in central tryptophan levels increases only to a low extent brain 5-HT synthesis, as assessed by the analysis of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels, thereby suggesting that exercise promotes feedback regulatory mechanisms. Indirect indices of 5-HT functions open the possibility that acute exercise-induced increases in 5-HT biosynthesis are associated with (or lead to) increases in 5-HT release. Lastly, the hypothesis that training and/or acute exercise triggers changes in 5-HT receptors has been examined in several studies; actually, both positive and negative results have been reached. Taken together, all these data support the need for future studies on the functional effects of exercise on 5-HT, including those related to the hypothesis that the positive mood effects of exercise rely (partly or totally) on central serotonergic systems.
Previous studies hypothesized that seasonal affective disorder (SAD) was caused by a circadian rhythm abnormality. The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether rest-activity rhythms were phase delayed, diminished in amplitude, or more poorly entrained to the 24-hour day.
Twenty healthy adult controls and 25 outpatients meeting Rosenthal-National Institute of Mental Health criteria for SAD and DSM-III-R criteria for major or bipolar depression with seasonal pattern had their levels of activity recorded for 72 hours (weekdays) using wrist-worn actigraphs.
Subjects with SAD had activity levels that were 11% lower than controls (P = .03), and their levels of activity were most attenuated during the first 2 hours after arising (P = .004). The relative amplitude of the circadian rhythm did not differ between groups. Patients with SAD were phase delayed by 50 minutes for the entire period (P = .02). Analysis of each individual day indicated that patients were delayed by up to 70 minutes (P = .007). Interdaily stability, an index of coupling between the rhythm and its zeitigeber was reduced in SAD (P = .01). Compared with controls, patients with SAD had best-fit circadian periods that were 92% more deviated from 24 hours (P = .007) and daily acrophase (time of the peak of the fit circadian rhythm) times that were 110% more variable between days (P < .001).
Patients with SAD have circadian rest-activity rhythms that are significantly phase delayed and more poorly entrained to the 24-hour day.
Analyses conducted in 10,526 community respondents investigated by the NIMH Epidemiological Catchment Area (ECA) Program, revealed the 1-month point prevalence of depressive symptoms and disorders in the general population, at the first ECA interview (Wave 1) to be 10%, as follows: 2.3% major depressive disorder (MDD); 2.3% dysthmic disorder (DD); 1.5% minor depressive disorder (MinD); and 3.9% subsyndromal depressive symptoms (SSD, defined as two or more depressive symptoms beneath the diagnostic threshold of MinD, DD or MDD). There appears to be two classes of SSD in this community sample: first, SSD, which occurred as an integral component of the course of unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD); and, second, SSD occurring spontaneously in non-unipolar depressed community subjects. In the first instance, SSD was frequently prodromal to episodes of MinD or MDD or residual to resolving episodes. Analyses also support the conclusion that SSD is a clinically significant, interepisode, depressive subtype of unipolar MDD, since SDD is associated with harmful dysfunction in five of six measures of adverse outcome, has a significantly increased prevalence of past histories of major depressive episodes, and an elevated lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts. Comparison of subsyndromal depressive symptomatology or depressive disorder diagnoses at Wave 1 with diagnoses obtained, 1 year later, at the Wave 2 interview, confirm the persistent and chronic nature of depression in this large representative sample of community respondents, in which 71% of subjects with depressive symptoms or disorders at Wave 1 continued to be symptomatic at Wave 2. In addition, subjects experienced a surprising degree of change in depressive symptom and disorder diagnoses during the 1-year observational window between Wave 1 and Wave 2, in which a remarkable percentage of individuals, who began the year in a depressive symptom or disorder diagnostic category, ended the year in another. This has led us to hypothesize that the typical clinical picture of unipolar MDD is dynamic and pleomorphic in nature, characterized by substantial symptomatic fluidity, in which patients frequently change diagnoses from one depressive subtype to another during their courses of illness.
The suppression of melatonin by light at 00.30 hours has been shown to be greater in winter than in summer on patients with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) but not in matched normal controls.
In this study 12 patients with SAD and 12 matched normal controls were exposed to morning light therapy in the winter. Melatonin profiles and sensitivity to light were measured before and after treatment.
The SAD but not the normal group showed a phase advance of melatonin rhythms in response to phototherapy. There was an association between phase position and phase shift in the SAD but not in the normal group.
There may be instability of circadian rhythms in SAD mediated by a high-amplitude phase response curve, rather than a fixed phase abnormality as had been previously suggested. This instability may be secondary to impaired serotoninergic function in the afferent pathways to the suprachiasmatic nuclei.
It has been suggested that a failure to control for point in the menstrual cycle can lead to biased results in assessing psychiatric symptoms among women since state affects associated with premenstrual symptoms may lead to unreliability of symptom reporting as well as an artificial elevation of symptom ratings. We examine these hypotheses and the extent to which they can account for gender differences in symptom scale scores of demoralization and enervation.
The data are derived from an epidemiological study of Jews born in Israel between 1949 and 1958. The symptom scale scores of 2265 men and 1769 women (368 premenstrual, 458 menstruation and 943 postmenstrual) were compared regarding reliability, homogeneity and mean score.
There were no differences among the menstrual groups, or between the men and women, in reliability of their responses as measured by the alpha coefficient and the coefficient of variation. There were no significant differences among the female groups on mean symptom scale score. The mean scale scores for each female group were significantly higher than the mean scores for men.
Our results suggest that menstrual cycle stage does not influence the reliability of reporting, the variability of response or mean symptom levels. However, our conclusions may not apply to studies of drug effects or clinical studies of premenstrual dysphoria.
The intrinsic period tau of the circadian pacemaker in humans was investigated by means of forced desynchrony. In this protocol, during 6 scheduled days, the sleep-wake alternation was forced to a period of 20h (i.e., 13.5h for wakefulness and 6.5h for sleep). Light intensity was kept below 10 lux. Three experiments were performed. In experiment 1, 12 subjects were free to spend the available time studying, watching videos, and reading books. In experiment 2, at 2h intervals, 11 subjects spent 6 half-hour sessions per subjective day cycling with minimal effort on a cycle trainer, resulting in an average increase of heart frequency of less than 10 beats per minute. In experiment 3, 11 subjects spent the same intervals of time cycling, but now during 20 minutes per session at an average heart rate of between 140 and 150 beats per minute. Core body temperature was measured continuously. A deconvolution technique discriminated the impact of the circadian pacemaker on body temperature from the impact of activities related to sleeping and waking. From this analysis, the period of the pacemaker was derived. We found the following results: experiment 1, tau = 24.30 +/- 0.36h; experiment 2, tau = 24.17 +/- 0.45h; experiment 3, tau = 23.98 +/- 0.42h. The trend of shorter tau at higher levels of physical activity was not statistically significant. We conclude that tau in humans, determined under conditions of forced desynchrony, is very close to 24h. The suggestion from the literature that single activity pulses would predominantly yield phase delays of the circadian pacemaker is not confirmed by these multiple pulse experiments because no lengthening of tau with increasing effort was observed.
Using bright light for treating major depressive disorders which are not seasonal needs reassessment.
Clinical trials of light treatment for nonseasonal major depressive disorders were compared with selected trials of light treatment of winter depression and with antidepressant clinical drug trials.
Light treatment of nonseasonal depression produces net benefits in the range of 12-35%, often within 1 week.
Light's value for nonseasonal and seasonal depression are comparable. Light appears to produce faster antidepressant benefits than psychopharmacologic treatment.
Direct randomizing comparisons between light and medications for nonseasonal depression are not available.
Bright light can be combined with standard therapies for treating nonseasonal depressions and appears synergistic.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of recurrent depressive or bipolar disorder, with episodes that vary in severity. Seasonal patterns of depressive episodes are common, but SAD seems to be less common than such patterns suggest. SAD was at first believed to be related to abnormal melatonin metabolism, but later findings did not support this hypothesis. Studies of brain serotonin function support the hypothesis of disturbed activity. The short-allele polymorphism for serotonin transporter is more common in patients with SAD than in healthy people. Atypical depressive symptoms commonly precede impaired functioning, and somatic symptoms are frequently the presenting complaint at visits to family physicians. The best treatment regimens include 2500 Ix of artificial light exposure in the morning. When patients seem to have no response or to prefer another treatment, antidepressants should be considered.
So-called atypical depressive symptoms (carbohydrate craving, prolonged sleep, weight gain, increased appetite) frequently emerge in association with low illumination to which people are ordinarily exposed indoors, or even outdoors at extreme latitudes in wintertime. Our objective was to analyse the effect of physical exercise alone or combined with bright light on mood and the health-related quality of life during winter.
We carried out a randomized controlled trial on 120 indoor employees in southern Finland between November and January. The subjects were allocated to supervised fitness training under bright (2500-4000 lx) or ordinary (400-600 lx) light conditions in a gym 2-3 times weekly for 8 weeks, or supervised relaxation training once a week over the same period as active placebo. We collected questionnaire data on the changes in mood and health-related quality of life after 4 and 8 weeks of training, and after 4 months follow-up.
Fitness training in bright light resulted in greater relief from atypical depressive symptoms and more vitality than in ordinary room light. Compared with relaxation alone, the former regime improved general mental health and social functioning in addition to the improvement in depressive symptoms and vitality, whereas the latter only increased vitality.
Supervised physical exercise combined with exposure to bright light appears to be an effective intervention for improving mood and certain aspects of the health-related quality of life in wintertime. This effect appears unrelated to the history of season-dependent symptoms, being noticeable among healthy individuals.
The relative shortage of light during the decreasing photoperiod may compromise well-being. Earlier studies suggest that bright-light exposure may be of help to alleviate winter-bound symptoms.
We carried out a field study with exposure to bright light on office employees during winter.
Repeated bright-light exposure improved vitality and reduced depressive symptoms. The benefit was observed not only in healthy subjects with season-dependent symptoms but also in those not having the seasonal variation.
Bright-light exposure during winter appears to be effective at improving the health-related quality of life and alleviating distress in healthy subjects.
Administration of bright light is a useful option to improve vitality and mood among subjects working indoors in wintertime. LIMITATIONS OF STUDY: Our field setting used self-reports, not interviews, for the assessment of outcome.
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