Daylight-Saving Time
In this article, Mia shows the benefits and drawbacks of daylight savings.
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Changing Light, Changing Times
Changing Light, Changing Times
By Mia Bartscher
By Mia Bartscher
On Nov. 6, 2022, people all over the United States (except in the states of Arizona and Hawaii) will wake up to turn the clocks back an hour. The tradition began all the way back in 1918 in an attempt to save an hour's worth of fuel during World War I. However, in recent years, more and more people are protesting daylight savings and it has been the subject of much debate among both scientists and lawmakers.
Image from The Mercury News of children in 1974 waiting for the bus in the dark.
According to Pro Con, lawmakers of the time repealed the act in 1919, although some localities kept it, leading to “a chaos of clocks” for decades until the Uniform Time Act made daylight-saving time (DST) consistent nationwide in 1966. Furthermore, there have been two times in history when DST has been made permanent. The first was during World War II, and the second during the 1970s energy crisis. Both times, after the events that caused the need for DST had subsided, keeping permanent DST was opposed. In fact, after World War II, only 17% of people wanted to continue using DST, known then as “war time.” Now, once more, Americans find themselves in a position to decide whether or not to establish permanent DST. Oregon Live reports that a bill to make DST permanent has unanimously passed the senate. Additionally, Oregon has signed legislation to make daylight-saving time permanent.
One argument against permanent daylight-saving time is the negative health effects it is proven to cause. Experts oppose having permanent DST because of how it affects the body. As stated by Harvard Magazine, daylight savings cause sleep loss, which can lead to higher rates of mental illness and cancer. According to Karin Johnson, Baystate Medical Center Regional Sleep Program director, “The way we rank it is: permanent daylight savings time is the worst, status quo is the middle and standard time is by far the best.” Daylight-saving time shifts peoples’ three clocks (social, sun, and circadian time) out of alignment, making it harder for people to get enough sleep. Studies show that people living on the western borders of time zones, for whom the sun time is the most affected during daylight savings, have higher incidences of several types of cancer. In addition, information from Russia, where daylight savings was made permanent from 2011 to 2014, shows higher rates of heart attacks, stress levels and mood disorders. Because of this, experts are fighting against the implementation of permanent DST. Additionally, many Americans showed preference for standard time over daylight time when polled.
Supporters of permanent DST point out its positive influence on the economy. The writers at Pro Con report that for the golf industry, one additional month of DST is worth $200 to $400 million dollars. The extra daylight in the evening makes it so golfers can play longer hours. Proponents also state that daylight savings makes people more active. As a result of DST, people are less likely to stay inside. According to Henrik Wolff, PhD, Associate Professor of Economics at Simon Fraser University, “people engaged in more outdoor recreation and less indoor-TV watching… An additional 3 percent of people engaged in outdoor behaviors who otherwise would have stayed indoors.” For these reasons, there are people who believe that having permanent daylight savings would be the right choice.
Image of evening golfer courtesy of Golfpass.
However, daylight-saving time has more negative effects than positive. German chronobiologist Dr. Till Roenneberg, who researches the relationship between the human body and the light and dark states to Pro Con that the circadian rhythm of a human does not adjust to DST and that “[the] consequence of that is that the majority of the population has drastically decreased productivity, decreased quality of life, increasing susceptibility to illness and is just plain tired.” Furthermore, the average adult loses 19 minutes of sleep per night on DST. That sleep deprivation can lead to higher rates of mental health issues, traffic injuries and crime.
Photographic representation of "Falling Back" from Daily Hive
Daylight savings has been utilized for different reasons over the last century, but in recent years, the attitude has changed. As people question the need for it and lawmakers begin to change the legislation surrounding it, the question remains: does America shift to permanent standard time or daylight time? Both sides of the debate have strong justification. Those in favor of standard time present the harmful effects that the sleep loss associated with DST causes, while those who advocate for daylight time support their stance with evidence of the economic benefits of having permanent DST. Regardless of the decision’s results, the changing of the status quo shows a more open-minded view toward adaptation in general.
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