Every year, as we get closer to winter, peppermint flavored drinks at your favorite coffee ship, and Christmas time, we all set our clocks one hour back to end a synchronized effort called "daylight saving." Many people are for it, while many people vehemently oppose it, but what are actually the good and bad effects of daylight saving time? In a short video, National Geographic investigated how daylight saving may benefit us and how it may harm us; one thing's for certain though, it's not going anywhere for now.
In countries that practice daylight saving, the clock is usually advanced by about an hour sometime in the spring (In the U.S., we do it in March), and then set back in autumn. Daylight saving is not practiced across the world but most of North America and Europe change their clocks twice a year, parts of Australia and South America also change the time, as well as a handful of costal African countries. The only Asian countries that implement daylight saving are Mongolia and Iran. The only places in the United States that don't practice daylight savings are Hawaii, most of Arizona, and the U.S. territories like Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The rationale for Daylight Saving is to essentially make better use of daylight, but how does daylight saving actually affect our bodies and schedules? Lets take a look:
1. Con: The Average American Worker Loses About 40 Minutes Of Sleep When The Clock Moves Forward
And we all know sleep deprivation can have some serious consequences, like compromised immunity, lower cognitive function, memory issues, and problem with libido.
2. Con: The First Monday Of Daylight Savings Reports 40 Percent More Heart Attacks Than Any Other Monday
Which can be attributed to shift in sleep cycle, according to National Geographic.
3. Con: Car Accidents Go Up 15 Percent
Probably because we're all running late.
4. Con: Workers Are 67 Percent More Likely To Miss Work
You know, because of the sleep deprivation and car accidents.
5. Pro: People Shop More, And Economies Thrive
One rationale for daylight savings is to protect the economy and keep money flowing. According to National Geographic, research suggests that people are more likely to go out and shop when it's light out, and spending plummets in the darkness, thus keeping small businesses afloat.
With four cons and only one pro, it's pretty clear that daylight savings can have some pretty unfavorable affects. Sure it's fun having extra light in the summer, but the cost of it may be a little too irritating to be worth it.
Images: Pexels; Giphy (5)
