Ear-worn device ensures a bright disposition

Northern Finland in January isn’t a sunny place. The residents of Oulu, a small port town some 350 miles north of Helsinki, look forward to the winter snows because they brighten the place up. And, not surprisingly, many of them spend much of the winter down in the dumps.

Seasonal-affective disorder (SAD) is, of course, a recognised condition. As many as 25 per cent of people living in non-tropical latitudes are believed to suffer from a low mood when there is a shortage of natural light - interestingly, the condition is as prevalent at the latitude of Rome as it is in more northerly regions.

The technology-based answer to SAD is bright light therapy, which is as simple as it sounds - the sufferer shines a lamp designed to mimic the characteristics of sunlight at his or her face for a period of up to two hours a day. However, a company based in Oulu has devised a strikingly counterintuitive alternative. Rather than shining a light at your eyes, the company, called Valkee, has designed a device that shines light into your ears.