You're Supposed To Be Addicted To Sunlight
The shocking mechanism behind our urge to tan and be outside
With all the discussion today about mental health, sunlight needs to be a serious and foundational part of the conversation.
There’s a strong reason why everybody (or at least I’d hope so) loves sunlight and sunbathing, regardless of the propaganda campaign against it.
This taps into a level of human biology that cannot be denied.
Evolution has biologically driven you to become addicted to sunlight.
I firmly believe it’s a necessary component to crushing anxiety and depression through the endogenous stimulation of something called beta-endorphin.
UV Light & Beta-Endorphin
This was a UV-exposure mouse model.
Dorsally shaved mice received a dose of 50 mJ/cm2 of UVB 5 days per week for 6 weeks ~ equal to 20–30 minutes of midday sun exposure in Florida during the summer for a fair-skinned person of average tanning ab…