Exploring Human-centric lighting

Human-centric lighting is a rather ungainly phrase but one that is heard
more and more frequently. In a way, its emergence is ironic because light
–
ing has always been humancentric. Lighting uses light, and light is unique
among the fundamental physical quantities in that it is based on the re
–
sponse of the human visual system. But this is pure pedantry. What the
people who talk about human-centric lighting mean is lighting that con
–
siders both the visual and non-visual effects of exposing humans to light
and that widens the range of possible effects from visual performance and
comfort to sleep quality, alertness, mood and behaviour with consequen
ces for human health, learning and spending

How should claims of such effects be evaluated? The answer is with care,
for two reasons. First, it is necessary to recognize the limitations of what
we know. For the nonvisual effects of light, we know there are important
effects of light exposure operating through the circadian timing system,
but we suspect that many other parts of the brain are influenced by light;
yet these are relatively unexplored. For the visual effects, we know a lot
about how light affects visual capabilities and perceptions. What we lack
are ways to express that understanding in terms of photometric quantities.
Second, it is necessary to recognize the importance of intervening factors.
Many remote outcomes of interest, such as better health, faster learning
and increased sales are determined by many factors, lighting being just
one of them. The further the outcome is from the direct effects

Exploring Human-centric lighting

Exploring Human-centric lighting

Exploring Human-centric lighting

Exploring Human-centric lighting

Exploring Human-centric lighting

Human-centric lighting is a rather ungainly phrase but one that is heard
more and more frequently. In a way, its emergence is ironic because light
–
ing has always been humancentric. Lighting uses light, and light is unique
among the fundamental physical quantities in that it is based on the re
–
sponse of the human visual system. But this is pure pedantry. What the
people who talk about human-centric lighting mean is lighting that con
–
siders both the visual and non-visual effects of exposing humans to light
and that widens the range of possible effects from visual performance and
comfort to sleep quality, alertness, mood and behaviour with consequen
ces for human health, learning and spending

How should claims of such effects be evaluated? The answer is with care,
for two reasons. First, it is necessary to recognize the limitations of what
we know. For the nonvisual effects of light, we know there are important
effects of light exposure operating through the circadian timing system,
but we suspect that many other parts of the brain are influenced by light;
yet these are relatively unexplored. For the visual effects, we know a lot
about how light affects visual capabilities and perceptions. What we lack
are ways to express that understanding in terms of photometric quantities.
Second, it is necessary to recognize the importance of intervening factors.
Many remote outcomes of interest, such as better health, faster learning
and increased sales are determined by many factors, lighting being just
one of them. The further the outcome is from the direct effects

Exploring Human-centric lighting

Human-centric lighting is a rather ungainly phrase but one that is heard
more and more frequently. In a way, its emergence is ironic because light
–
ing has always been humancentric. Lighting uses light, and light is unique
among the fundamental physical quantities in that it is based on the re
–
sponse of the human visual system. But this is pure pedantry. What the
people who talk about human-centric lighting mean is lighting that con
–
siders both the visual and non-visual effects of exposing humans to light
and that widens the range of possible effects from visual performance and
comfort to sleep quality, alertness, mood and behaviour with consequen
ces for human health, learning and spending

How should claims of such effects be evaluated? The answer is with care,
for two reasons. First, it is necessary to recognize the limitations of what
we know. For the nonvisual effects of light, we know there are important
effects of light exposure operating through the circadian timing system,
but we suspect that many other parts of the brain are influenced by light;
yet these are relatively unexplored. For the visual effects, we know a lot
about how light affects visual capabilities and perceptions. What we lack
are ways to express that understanding in terms of photometric quantities.
Second, it is necessary to recognize the importance of intervening factors.
Many remote outcomes of interest, such as better health, faster learning
and increased sales are determined by many factors, lighting being just
one of them. The further the outcome is from the direct effects