Is executive attention affected by environmental lighting conditions?
2025

The Effect of Daylight on Executive Attention

Sample size: 91 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Wessolowski Nino, Raschida Jasmin

Primary Institution: MSH Medical School Hamburg, University of Applied Sciences and Medical University, Hamburg, Germany

Hypothesis

Does bright daylight enhance executive attention compared to warm-white light?

Conclusion

Bright daylight significantly enhances executive attention in young adults compared to warm-white light.

Supporting Evidence

  • Participants in bright daylight had a 11.3% shorter reaction time difference in executive attention tasks.
  • The study included 91 participants with no missing data.
  • Previous studies indicated positive effects of daylight on attention in children and adolescents.

Takeaway

Being in bright daylight helps people pay better attention, like how a sunny day can make you feel more awake and focused.

Methodology

Participants completed the Attention Network Test under bright daylight or warm-white light conditions.

Potential Biases

Potential confounding factors from monitor light and previous exposure to natural daylight.

Limitations

The contrast between light conditions was not as pronounced as in previous studies, and the lighting was generated from different luminaires.

Participant Demographics

Participants were mostly psychology students (75.8%) and predominantly female (72.6%).

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.049

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0305998

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