Living without sunlight

It is safe to say that the long term effects of excessive exposure to solar radiation (UVB) can be harmful to a person, causing the possibility of many health complications including melanoma and other skin cancers. Though this solar radiation is the primary source of vitamin D for most Americans and Europeans.

The health benefits of sunlight have been explored for many years, resulting in the conclusion that moderate exposure to sunlight is an intrinsic component for healthy life.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is just one of the health implications brought about by reduced exposure to sunlight. Throughout the winter months many suffers encounter these symptoms:

Most sufferers show signs of a weakened immune system during the winter,
and are more vulnerable to infections and other illnesses.

SAD symptoms disappear in spring, either suddenly with a short period (e.g. four weeks) of hypomania or hyperactivity, or gradually, depending on the intensity
of sunlight in the spring and early summer.

In sub-syndromal SAD, symptoms such as tiredness, lethargy, sleep and eating problems occur, but depression and anxiety are absent or mild.

SAD may begin at any age but the main age of onset is between 18 and 30 years.
SAD occurs throughout the northern and southern hemispheres but is extremely rare in those living within 30 degrees of the Equator, where daylight hours are long, constant and extremely bright.

http://www.sada.org.uk/symptoms-of-SAD.html

This evidence raises the question 'How would living underground for a prolonged period effect our mental and physical health?'

I hope to be able to incorporate this research into my photographs using a model.