Is the ‘sunshine cure’ a real thing?

CrowdScience

BBC

Science, Technology

4.8 • 985 Ratings

🗓️ 4 August 2023

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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 achiness as well as conditions like arthritis but one of the biggest scientific studies found temperature has no real 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. The optimum temperature for wellbeing is around a cool 19 degrees centigrade, while excessive warm weather has been linked to an increase in violence and crime.

You can watch a visualisation of this episode on YouTube: Is the 'sunshine cure' a real thing? - CrowdScience, BBC World Service podcast - YouTube

Producer: Marijke Peters Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Editor: Richard Collings Production co-ordinator: Jonathan Harris

Contributors:

Dr Anna Beukenhorst, University of Manchester Professor Oscar Ybarra, University of Illinois Professor Solomon Hsiang, University of California, Berkeley Martin Andersen, artist

(Photo: Young woman enjoying sunset. Credit: Muriel De Seze/Getty Images)

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of
0:07.0	Happiness Podcast.
0:08.0	For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want
0:14.4	to share that science with you.
0:16.1	And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley.
0:19.4	I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that
0:25.4	calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. If I'm awake to see the sun come up, it's a great start to the day. It's just clear blue sky.
0:42.0	You feel more energetic positive you know the
0:46.8	whole day is going to be pretty good I think my mood goes up doubles, you know.
0:55.8	I'm Marnie Chesterton and you're listening to crowd science,
0:58.9	the show that answers questions sent to us
1:01.1	from all over the world. And sometimes we're lucky also takes us to some of those places
1:07.0	which is why I'm currently enjoying some sunshine in southern Spain. I'm here to try and find out whether the weather makes a difference to our mood and our health
1:21.0	because listener Michael in Australia got in touch with this
1:24.9	question. I would like to know why so many people at the slightest sight of
1:29.0	sunshine and warmth have sharply increased enthusiasm for life and their moods appear far happier.
1:35.6	I'm wondering as to the science on whether it's actually better health-wise to live in a warm climate.
1:40.6	I'd like you, Michael, to tell me a bit more about the bit of Australia that you're from,
1:46.5	because I always think of Australia as hot and sunny. But you live in an anomaly? I think the anomaly is the southern part, particularly where I'm from in
1:57.1	Melbourne, which is southern Victoria. We have an oceanic climate, which is not much different to what you guys have in London.
2:04.4	Of course we have greater variation with higher highs, but we also have a terribly gloomy climate
2:11.7	by the standard of Australia and that's what's important to remember here
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -566 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.