The Sun Makes You Happy, Literally.

I haven't seen this here on ATS yet and I thought that it would be an interesting topic to bring awareness to.

Here in the States we here a lot about that Sunlight gives you cancer (well so does our food and cell phones).

On the other hand if we lived in a place like Barrow, Alaska or Iceland where there is a small amount of sunlight during the year compared to other places in the world, we would have a high suicide rate.

Why? You ask.

Well...

Quote from Wikipedia (it has sources)

"According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, most people in the United States can meet their vitamin D needs through exposure to sunlight, even though a large portion have serum 25(OH)D3 levels below recommendations. Ultraviolet (UV) B radiation with a wavelength of 290-315 nanometers penetrates uncovered skin and converts cutaneous 7-dehydrocholesterol to previtamin D3, which in turn becomes vitamin D3. Season, geographic latitude, time of day, cloud cover, smog, skin melanin content, and sunscreen are among the factors that affect UV radiation exposure and vitamin D synthesis. The UV energy above 42 degrees north latitude (a line approximately between the northern border of California and Boston) is insufficient for cutaneous vitamin D synthesis from November through February; in far northern latitudes, this reduced intensity lasts for up to 6 months. In the United States, latitudes below 34 degrees north (a line between Los Angeles and Columbia, South Carolina) allow for cutaneous production of vitamin D throughout the year."

Vitamin D made in the skin from Pre- vitamin D3 from the sun acts as a hormone helping make and regulate Serotonin. Source


Just wanted to bring this to attention. People with depression should soak up some UV Rays every once in a while.

Comments, welcome and appreciated.

reply to post by elfulanozutan0


I would totally agree with this. In Norway and Sweden for example winter months see a spike in sucides, and there is even a government sponsered treatment centres, that offer "sun light" therapy. Basically a big tanning room!

It's known as SAD (Seasonal Affective Dissorder) and basically is a form pof depression caused by lack of sunlight.

Inversely is it any suprise thats tropical countries are known for their upbeat rempo music and dancing. But I would also warn that the sun makes you crazy, hence the bad driving skills and general hot tempers!!

reply to post by elfulanozutan0


Tis true. I read this years ago in Earl Mindell's vitamin bible. It's amazing how things that people don't think about really helps us.

en.wikipedia.org...



[edit on 2/27/2010 by Blueracer]

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[edit on 2/27/2010 by Blueracer]

Apparently i'm the opposite. The sun actually makes me quite angry. I know i've read studies about people having more energy and being more vibrant in the sunlight, i'm just not one of those people. The sun irritates me and makes me quite tired. No matter how much sleep I get the night before if I wake up while the sun is out I am dead tired until it gets dark. Thankfully I work nights or I would go nuts.

I totally agree with this. On a personal level and observation.

I lived in central Alaska for 4 years. Winter was hard. And tons of people were either on anti-depressants or spent hours using a tanning bed or tanning lamp. Neither are ideal, but when you only get about 3 hrs of sunglight during December - gotta do what you can.

Now, it being winter - even if its 30 degrees out and the sun is shining (which in Denver area, it does most days of the year), I will sit outside in the sun even for just 1/2 an hour. I feel so much better afterwards.

I love the sun and I love sitting in the sun - esp at the pool or beach. When it is sunny, I feel the need to be outside and doing something. I feel guilty if I dont.

So with that said, what I absolutely love too is an overcast rainy/drizzly day to relax in bed or on the sofa in front of the fireplace.

[edit on February 27th 2010 by greeneyedleo]

I live in Texas and we get a lot of sun during the summer but during the winter we only see the sun one or two days a week due to all of the cloud coverage.

I notice in my mothers behavior from the summer and winter. In the summer she is always active and never irritable but in the winter she can have mood swings or other symptoms of depression.

I decided to post this today because of the 60 degree temperature and sunlight all day long with no cloud coverage. I noticed a more lively feel in the city today. Thank the sun for our food, energy, and happiness.

Originally posted by greeneyedleo
So with that said, what I absolutely love too is an overcast rainy/drizzly day to relax in bed or on the sofa in front of the fireplace.

I lot of people love that. I wonder if sitting by a fire has a similar effect?

When there is a nice sunny day here, you can see people are more happy and active.

Originally posted by greeneyedleo
I totally agree with this. On a personal level and observation.

I lived in central Alaska for 4 years. Winter was hard. And tons of people were either on anti-depressants or spent hours using a tanning bed or tanning lamp. Neither are ideal, but when you only get about 3 hrs of sunglight during December - gotta do what you can.

That reminds me of an old Northern Exposure episode where they had to wear these little lamps on their heads for 10 minutes to relieve depression and Walt (Ruthannes trapper boyfriend) wore one full time and he was going off his head like he was on crack. That was a very funny episode.

Gosh I miss that show!

IRM

SO true. I need zero scientific documentation or studies to inform me about the effect of the sun (or lack thereof) on people: I work with the public. There is no better barometer.

We get an average of over 2300 hours of sunshine per year where I live, and I can tell you first-hand that if the sun has been hidden for more than three days in a row, people go wrangy. I used to wonder why there were days when the majority of people I met with were completely miserable, short-tempered and just generally unreasonable. All I needed to do was look outside. The opposite is also true; bright sunny days, whether cold or not, people are much more even-tempered and pleasant to be around.

Yes, I think that the Sun has a lot to do with ones mood. For example here in Sweden we have many grumpy and dissatisfied people especially in the winter time. But how happy can one be when it's dark as hell outside with -30 degrees celsius and tons of snow, it doesn't put me in a jolly mood, direct.
I wonder how the ancestors of this country thought thousands of years ago, when they came to this land. It probably whent something like this,
-Yeah, I like this, it's cold as hell here. But for them it seemed to be perfect place to start a civilization on. They must have been out of their minds!!!

Well chemicals it creates via vitamins etc aside. When it's sunny and warm im cranky as anything and all in all feel terrible...hence the reason i don't go on holiday to extremely sunny locations.

reply to post by elfulanozutan0



I too love the sun, summer, beaches etc. But as a sun worshiper and wearing as few clothes as possible in the summer for many years; I'm paying for it with a case of melanoma [in remission] basal cell, and visits to the dermatologist twice a year. Wear your sunscreen!!

There's definitely correlation between sun and happiness, but I doubt the validity of that last sentence. It says it's more than correlation, it's causation. It says Vitamin D helps make and regulate serotonin (chemical for happiness?).

BS to me. I'm pretty sure it's the fun things I do in the sun that make me happy.

I'm originally from a cold and rainy environment with many overcast days per years. Currently I live in a place where most days are sunny. And to be honest, I'm mixed-up. I love the pale sunlight of my homeland and every now and then, at certain times of year here, we get the odd hour with that same soft sunshine. It almost makes me weep with homesickness and joy

However, I've obviously adapted to having lots of sun, because these days I find myself becoming depressed after a week or two of sunless days. Too much sun (of the strong, glare-filled variety) can also be depressing though -- particularly the sulphurous, late afternoons with their high-humidity and inescapable orange glare

All the older family-members who remained in Northern Europe lived independently until their 90s, despite the gloomy weather, which I find interesting. None suffered the broken bones or other infirmities we're told result from advanced age and lack of sunlight