Dong and Zhong investigated links between lighting levels and concerns about catching an illness from someone else. They determined that “participants…in a dimly lit room…or wearing sunglasses…tended to estimate a lower risk of catching contagious diseases from others than did those…in a brightly lit room or wearing clear glasses. The effect persisted in both laboratory…and real-life settings.” The authors clearly state implications of their findings: “If visual darkness impacts perceived risk of contagion, then improving illumination in developing worlds might be a pressing task in the fight against epidemics.”
The research also suggest that brighter lighting might be a way to encourage people “working in organizations or public settings where the chance of catching contagious diseases is relatively high (e.g., cinemas, theaters, gymnasiums, stadiums, hospitals and aircraft), to be more cautious about disease transmission.” During one study, the intensity of light was 940 lux in the brighter rooms where data were collected and 120 lux in the dimmer ones; during another study lighting levels were 505 lux or 242 lux. In a separate set of studies, people wore sunglasses or glasses with clear lenses.
Ping Dong and Chen-Bo Zhong. “Visual Darkness Reduces Perceived Risk of Contagious-Disease Transmission From Interpersonal Interaction.” Psychological Science, in press, DOI: 10.1177/0956797617749637
Sally Augustin, PhD,a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.