Is the 'sunshine cure' a real thing? - CrowdScience, BBC World Service podcast
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- Опубликовано: 12 фев 2022
- CrowdScience investigates the conflicting scientific evidence around warm weather and wellbeing.
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Imagine spending six months of every year living in total shade. That’s what life is like for residents of the Norwegian town of Rjukan, set so low in a valley that they see no direct sunshine at all from October to March. Marnie Chesterton heads there to hear about an ingenious solution: giant mirrors that beam rays down into the town square, where locals gather to feel the reflected heat.
The man behind the project was motivated by a need for winter sun, but how much difference does it really make to our health and happiness? That’s the question posed by this week’s CrowdScience listener Michael, who has noticed living in the rainy Australian city of Melbourne is taking its toll.
Many pensioners claim sunshine relieves aches and pains, as well as conditions like arthritis, but one of the biggest scientific studies found temperature actually has no impact on reported pain levels, while factors like air pressure and humidity may play a role.
When it comes to our mood, it seems that spending time outside is more important than feeling the heat, and the optimum temperature for wellbeing is around cool 19 degrees centigrade, while excessive warm weather has been linked to an increase in violence and crime.
Check out more episodes of CrowdScience here: • CrowdScience
Contributors:
Dr Anna Beukenhorst, University of Manchester
Professor Oscar Ybarra, University of Illinois
Professor Solomon Hsiang, University of California, Berkeley
Martin Andersen, artist
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#CrowdScience #Weather #Health #Wellbeing #Sunshine
Even if I don't go outside just seeing the sunshine through the window makes me personally much more cheerful.
I still recall visiting relatives in Andalucia from the December UK. Once out in the sunshine I realised that my mouth was turning up into a smile automatically. It was a strange sensation. I had not even realised I had had a miserable face on me.
For us in a tropical country philippines where sunlight is abundant it's refreshing for us when it's cloudy 😅
As an (Ex Pom) Australian I can 100% assure you you feel better with more sunshine!
I once spent over a year in the high desert. Rain and cloudy days was about one week total in a year. A cloudy day was a pleasant surprise. When it rained everybody came outside and danced in the rain. I learned that I liked seasons.
The sun is everything especially if you've been raised in a country with abundant sunshine. Ever since I've moved to the UK, I've suffered with depression, anxiety, autoimmune issues, skin issues, poor gut health, low testosterone most of which stem from lack of sunshine. When I go on a holiday to a sunny country, these issues just magically go away. I hope to move to a sunnier country but where and how LOL.
I live in India. North India. There is no dearth of sunshine throughout the year. The Sun beats down relentlessly on you and saps your energy levels and consequently your mood. I am constantly looking towards the skies for a glimpse of a cloud or shade to improve the feel factor. There is such a thing as too much Sun. That said, every morning when i get up and see the sun rise, its a spiritually uplifting moment. Perhaps it helps in improving overall health but definitely does lift the mood in the morning.
We in India have a special prayer which is also an exercise call Surya namaskar. Meaning salutations to the sun God. 12 steps. It’s compleat full body exercise with a chant of prayer. OM surya namah. 🙏
Everything in moderation and balance. Having lived in Thailand and Paraguay the sun and heat was inescapable. I live in Scotland and I appreciate the sun a lot more but also appreciate the rain which also gives us life. I think there are many many other factors that affect happiness before sun.
Heat 100% alleviates my chronic pain. Much less pain in hot weather, every autumn, pain flares up bad. Also, when the weather shifts quickly (from either hot to cold or cold to hot) I get sick. I really don't think these "studies" apply to everyone here. I live in Canada-very extreme weather fluctuations-sometimes 38c in summer, and -40c in winter. We had a day recently that dropped 20c in 24 hours. That is not healthy for anyone.
Sun makes everything better for me. It improves my mood, increases my energy, my motivation, improves my skin. However, I really love a temperate continental climate the best. Not a hot and humid one. Probably hot and dry would be ok as well. In my country, usually we have low humidity, hot summers, temperate autumns and springs and snowy and cold winters. As an Eastern European, it took me many years to get used to the British weather, my arthritis really flared up for a few years from the humidity in UK. Also, I developed allergies which I never had before, which are indirectly related to the weather, because my autoimmune condition put my body to stress and it caused an exacerbated histamine response and certainly the windy UK doesn’t help with polen alergies.
I work at an amazon warehouse on a 10 hour shift, starting at 1:20 am. When I get to see the sun, I get happy and as I'm already halfway until the shift ends. It also lifts up my mood.
Totally agreed with you especially I am originally from Malaysia but now liviing in Finland, we always move to the place with sun during the polar night season.
I live in a cold region, a valley. Recently, I travelled to the beach and instantly felt better. No back pain, ho headaches. Was it the sun? The beach? The feeling of freedom? I don’ know, but I wish that well-being feeling lasted a bit more.
Interesting! Thank you for this documentary!
I love a bright sunny day. It just brightens up my day and puts me in a better mood all day
I remember being super happy for no reason in the first year after I moved from Britain to Australia. But it settled down after that. There are a lot of Australians who suffer from depression as well.
The beauty of the rising sun alway keeps my mood great.
summer and sunlight depress me. I feel invigorated and happy by the stars, the night, stargazing, the northern lights and Sirius
Sunshine and the warmth sure make me happy and energetic. Clouds and cold make me depressed and tired. I agree totally.