Promote Physical Health/Improve Health Outcomes

Mason. Zee, Grimaldi, Reid, and Malkani’s research confirms that being in a space that has much light in it at night can be bad for our health.  Their findings indicate the value of black out-type curtains at night, particularly in urban areas, and shielding patients in hospitals from nighttime light, for example.  The Mason-lead team determined that “nighttime light exposure during sleep may affect metabolic function. . . . ‘a single night of light exposure during sleep acutely impacts measures of insulin resistance,’ said lead author . . . Mason. . . .

Kim, Park, and Hong investigated links between design and nonmotorized travel (for instance, walking and biking).  They learned that “nonmotorized users tend to choose more clustered destinations than motorized users. . . .

Legrand and colleagues have learned that exercising is good for the mental wellbeing of depressed people, whether those depressed people exercise indoors or outside.  The research team determined that “short bouts [20 minutes long] of moderate-to-vigorous exercise [running at moderate intensity] were effective in improving feelings of energy among people with depressive symptoms. . . . the positive effects of exercise on feelings of energy did not depend on whether exercise took place in an outdoor nature setting or an indoor gym. . . .

Research linking listening to music while exercising with spending more time exercising has implications for soundscaping generally.  The American College of Cardiology reports that “a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 67^th Annual Scientific Session [lead author Waseem Shami] suggests listening to music during a standard cardiac stress test can help extend the time someone is able to perform the test. . . .