yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

Daylight Saving Time 101 | National Geographic


2m read
·Nov 11, 2024

In spring, we move our clocks forward an hour, and in fall, we move them back an hour. That section in between, we call that daylight savings time. And oh, it's singular; sorry, I mean daylight saving time. It may seem pretty straightforward, but daylight saving time has both serious repercussions and major benefits.

In the United States of America, 48 states observe daylight saving time, with Hawaii, most of Arizona, and the U.S. territories of Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands choosing to ignore it. In spring, the 48 states all jump ahead an hour, and the immediate effects can be disastrous. One study found that the average American worker loses 40 minutes of sleep when the clock springs forward. That means lots of people could be losing an hour of sleep or more on the same night, essentially giving us all jet lag.

Sleep deprivation can lead to serious health issues. According to studies, the first Monday of daylight saving time has 25% more heart attacks than a typical Monday. Car accidents go up 17% in the days after the time shift, and workplace accidents go up about six percent. Workers are 67% more likely to miss work due to these accidents, and productivity goes way down the first Monday after daylight saving time.

Daylight saving time isn't even universal. Fewer than half of the countries in the world actually use it, and few agree on when it starts or ends. The switch to daylight saving time has a lot of negatives, so why do we do it at all? The real reason we kept daylight saving time and extended it? Economics. Some studies suggest we spend money when it's sunny outside. If it's light out after work or school, people spend more at the shops.

From 1968 to 1971, the UK kept their version of daylight saving time for the whole year, and traffic deaths declined by 11% because it was light after work during the winter. Another recent study found that kids are more likely to exercise outside during the winter daylight saving time rather than huddling inside after school.

With benefits and negative effects, it's no wonder daylight saving time has opponents and supporters. But on what side of the clock do you stand?

More Articles

View All
Welcome to Earth | Official Trailer - Audio Description | Disney+
A six-part Disney Plus original series. Will Smith steps out of a red SUV. “I’ve got a confession to make,” words appear over a blue and green sphere from National Geographic. “I’ve never climbed a mountain,” Will repels down a volcano. Academy Award nomi…
Forming comparative and superlative modifiers | The parts of speech | Grammar | Khan Academy
Hey Garian, so last time we talked about Raul the Penguin and how he was happier than another penguin, Cesar. Um, but I want to talk today about how to form the comparative and the superlative. You know how to compare, how to say something is more than or…
How I Developed the Principled Way of Thinking
What happened is I found that I needed to write down my criteria and test them. So I started with the markets because, you know, it’s tough to wrestle all in your head with everything. I found that I needed to do that, and I could test the criteria. I fo…
Searching for the World’s Last Pristine Seas | Nat Geo Live
We have taken fish out of the ocean faster than they can reproduce. Ninety percent of the large fish, like the tuna and the sharks, are gone. And we killed them in the last 100 years alone. Right now about a third of the fisheries of the world have collap…
This is the World’s Most Expensive Spice | National Geographic
[Music] [Music] This is a farm in Horizonte’s in north-east of Iran. Saffron is known as the most valuable plant in the world and has been growing in Iran for thousands of years. Saffron stems from Iran’s history, knowledge, and experience. Aboard, saffro…
Want to Get SUPER Rich? Sacrifice These 17.
When you see millionaires and billionaires in the world’s wealthiest people, you have to be 100% sure that they reached this financial status as a result of sacrifices. Every one of them gave up a lot to get to where they are today. Sacrifice is what sets…