Daylight Saving: Why Do We Change The Clocks, What Are The Benefits & Disadvantages?
Today is the day that most European Countries have moved their clock 1 hour forward due to daylight saving time.
We all know that this happens twice a year, but in a time where electronics update the time automatically most people don't think about it too much.
Do you know why we actually turn the clocks twice a year? How did this happen, why isn't the whole world changing the clocks on the same day, and why are some people against it?
The History of Daylight Saving
The initial idea of changing the time with the seasons isn't new.
Even the romans were already adjusting the length of their hours depending on the time of year.
Then at the start of the 20th century, daylight saving like we know it begun.
The British builder William Willett first proposed the idea because he wanted the population to enjoy the sunlight more, and the extra hour could also be very useful for farmers during harvest season.
In 1916, the Daylight Saving Time was adapted in most major European countries like the UK, Germany, France, Italy and more.
An additional factor here was to increase the production of goods needed for World War I .
Daylight Saving around the World
Interestingly, the US always changes their clock earlier than European countries.
The US introduced the Law in 1918, due to Benjamin Franklin's suggestion of conserving candle wax. And actually, not all states are included - Arizona and Hawaii for example don't participate in daylight saving.
Most Asian, African and tropical countries don't switch to daylight saving time.
That's because the sunlight is already quite similar there during the evening hours, and switching the clocks wouldn't benefit the population much.
Reasons for Daylight Saving
Of course there are many different reasons why we use daylight saving time but these are a few of the main ones:
- Positive effects on lifestyle: people tend to do more outdoor activities after work if it's still light
- Positive effects of the Sunlight and less SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)
- Economic Reasons: More shopping/activities after work, and less energy consumption
- Safety: Statistics have shown that road accidents and robberies decries during the longer daylight hours.
Arguments against Daylight Saving
Some people argue that changing the clocks is a waste of time, and that it even comes with disadvantages instead of benefits.
- Shifting of the inner body clock: increased tiredness, decreased productivity
- Disturbed sleeping patterns
- Not beneficial for all economic areas: When it's lighter during the evening hours, retail sales might increase - but cinemas or TV programs during prime time will notice a decrease in viewers since more people are spending their evening outside.
- Timekeeping challenges: Time-sensitive tasks can suffer from daylight saving, and livestock for example has to adapt to the change too, so it's a challenge for the people in charge.
Also, people who follow religious rituals based on solar or lunar time have to adjust accordingly.
What's your opinion on Daylight Saving? Do you think it's useful or would you prefer it if we stopped practicing it?
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That's a tough one to answer. Mostly i guess it doesn't really affect me. However with that said , I can't stand it when we lose an hour , but it's great when we gain an hour. So guess in that sense it equals out for me. I can't say that i do anything differently when we are in daylight savings or not , but i have noticed in previous years that right before the clocks are to change , meaning a few weeks or so , i start to feel more exhausted than usual , and for a few weeks after it's either better or worse depending on which way the clocks are going , then back to normal until the clocks change again.
Firsthand experience is always helpful in the comment. Really valuable comment here! Happy commenting!
Interesting!
Personally I don't really feel the change at all, but it's interesting to hear that you do feel the positive or negative effects for a few weeks.
I hate DST!!!!
Sorry to hear that - who knows, maybe we will stop changing the clocks at some point in the future.
I think daylight saving made more sense when societies were less automated... we really don't do as much thee days that's daylight sensitive and isn't done by automation. I know many of the underlying reasons have economic backgrounds... but do we really need excuses to "consume more?" Not from where I am sitting...
It didn't make sense then either. Cattle don't care what the clock says. Milking time was milking time.
Yes that's true.
But on the other hand, I think in many European countries with moderate climate (like denmark as well) we don't get the sun that often, so it's nice to have an extra hour of sunlight.
It might not matter as much in areas where it's sunny all the time anyway, like california or spain.
I suffer from seasonal depression (I know it sounds silly) and I count the days for the clock to go forward. It's my Christmas.
Why not just leave the clock on DTS year-round then? Should help with winter depression, too, if the sun isn't setting at 4:00.
Very interesting that it affects you this much, and good to hear that your "happy season" is starting now! Thanks for sharing!
End the clock-shifting nonsense. Pick a standard and stay with it. It doesn't help farmers, it doesn't help those of us with chronic illness, it doesn't save energy, but it does cause accidents and exacerbate health problems.
I think there's many pro's and con's to it.
Statistics have shown that the economy isn't really a major benefit, but I just think it's nice to get a little bit more daylight in countries where we don't get as much sun.
But then again, if the disadvantages outweigh, I agree that stopping it alltogether would make more sense.
But you don't get more daylight. The number of hours remains the same either way. What changes is when people have to wake up, and it constitutes a mandatory jet lag for everyone. Some people don't handle that very well.
Don't they say its also for the safety of kids walking to and from school?
Yes I've read that too, parents don't feel safe if the kids have to get to school in the mornings when it's still very dark outside.
I heard once was to conserve the energy during the war.
More interesting details on DST here. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for your support as always :)
you're welcome