I get that you don't want things behind your back, but what's wrong with overhead lights? I mean every office/room/space has a light on the ceiling.

As mentioned in the article, you have no control, as you would with a desk lamp. The lighting is often direct, stark, and blue as well, which impedes relaxation and "flow."

It makes me feel like the sun is shining on my face, and I want to seek shelter.

The sun makes you look for shelter?

Yes. Somewhere cool and dark and quiet.

Although I must say that indirect sunlight, filtered again through dark green leaves right outside the window at the other end of the room, is pretty pleasant. All the heat is kept outside where it belongs, there's no glare, etc.

Glare. Overhead lights and the trend of GLOSSY MONITOR EVERYWHERE. If I'm stuck in an open office with overhead lights and a glossy monitor, I feel like a quarter of my attention is spent tracking moving objects in reflection.

High overhead lights, especially fluorescent ones make me feel simultaneously exposed and confined, like a goldfish in a fishtank at Wal-Mart just waiting for some dumb kid to snatch me up.

Darkness is fine, natural light is fine, pools of lamplight are fine. But big banks of ceiling lights make me want to crawl under my desk and hide.

It's people, not things, behind my back that are the usual issue.

It's not a good thing just because everyone does it.