Twice a year I go insane. I blame social media.
It’s not actually social media’s fault, but this specific annoyance of mine developed because people post so widely (and foolishly) on social media.
Here is my sad discovery over the past few years. Americans don’t understand time.
Every year in March, people lament losing an hour of sleep due to Daylight Saving Time. And every year in November they complain about their babies waking up too early and dark evenings due to… Daylight Saving Time.
These clock changes CANNOT both be Daylight Saving Time. Standard time is “normal” or universal time and lasts from early November to early March. Daylight Saving Time lasts from early March to early November. Think of it this way… when do we have more daylight? In the spring and summer… so that’s Daylight Saving Time. More people get this wrong for the November time change than the spring one, so I am choosing to post about this in March, so nobody has to feel foolish about a mistake they made four months ago.
November marks the end of Daylight Saving Time, not the start. But every year, I log onto Facebook and Instagram on the first Sunday in November and see post after post lamenting the start of daylight saving. I think people get confused, because, for the first few weeks of Standard Time, it’s lighter in the mornings until we plunge into the depths of winter. Not only do individuals get confused, but I’ve seen companies write incorrectly about the time change. My first year living in California, Sprinkles posted a Daylight Saving Time promo on social media in November. I rolled my eyes at the blunder, but thoroughly enjoyed my discounted cupcake.
First, it is important to understand how Daylight Saving Time works (or “Summer Time” in other countries). Essentially, when we “spring forward” in March, we are moving an hour of our daylight from the morning to the evening. The ultimate purpose of daylight saving is to enjoy longer, lighter evenings after the workday is through. Standard (regular time) gives us an earlier sunrise and an earlier sunset. Daylight saving extends the sunset to 7, 8, 9, or 10 pm in many states, depending on how far north you go (and I’m not even considering Alaska where it is light for 18+ hours per day in the summer months).
A number of people throughout history have promoted daylight saving. Back in 1784, Benjamin Franklin proposed moving the clock to save on candle expenses in the evening, although it was likely because he preferred to stay up late and sleep in and the 6 am sunrises annoyed him. New Zealand entomologist, George Hudson, is thought to be the inventor of modern Daylight Saving Time, as he petitioned to switch the clock so he would have time to study insects in the light when he got off work each day. London builder William Willett was another proponent to switch to DST because he always noticed everyone’s windows covered in the early AM trying to block out the morning sun. He wrote a pamphlet called “Waste of Daylight” and spent a great deal of money lobbying for Summer Time hours in England.
There are many studies that suggest that Daylight Saving Time reduces energy costs, as less light and heat are required at home when it is light out in the evenings. Further, during DST, people are more likely to spend time outdoors, which means their general energy consumption at home goes down. Some dispute these studies, but, nevertheless, Daylight Saving Time has been federally required during times of war and during energy crises in countries around the globe. Those against DST claim the darker winter mornings (should we move to daylight saving year-round) could increase dangers for commuters and children walking to school.
When it comes down to it, most studies simply show that people enjoy Daylight Saving Time more. Humans appreciate after-dinner walks in daylight more than they like a 4:30 am sunrise. It’s simply a matter of preference, and most people prefer daylight saving because daylight at 5 pm is more valuable to us than daylight at 5
I think people complain about Daylight Saving, not because they dislike it, but because switching the clock is annoying and inefficient. And springing forward to DST is when we lose an hour of sleep. But it’s a small price to pay for eight months of beautiful, light evenings. (Also, the babies often sleep in after springing forward. And all the moms said AMEN.)
If you live in a sunny, southern climate and want to complain about Daylight Saving Time, take a moment to think about your friends or family members who live in the north. During the winter (standard time), they suffer through miserably short and dark days. I remember growing up in the Pacific Northwest where the sky would finally lighten around 8am and start to grow dark again by 3 pm. It was so depressing. Daylight Saving Time was a gift for enduring the tragically dark winter. And I can’t even imagine what it would be like to live in North Dakota or Michigan where the dark days are accompanied by negative temperatures. Love your neighbor as yourself and appreciate Daylight Saving Time for those who need it as therapy after the brutal winter season.
Some states such as Arizona and Hawaii do not acknowledge Daylight Saving Time. Remember that I lived in Arizona for five years. It wasn’t until my second year there that I noticed something seemed “off” in the summer time. And then it dawned on me (pun intended!) that it was the lack of evening light. The latest sunset of the year in Arizona (on the solstice in June) is 7:41 pm. It never really felt like summer when our backyard dinners and games would end in darkness before 8pm. During the last election, California voters (myself included) voted to move permanently into Daylight Saving Time. My brother, who lives in dark, dreary Washington, told me there is a similar proposition there. Generally, I am against the government creating new laws, but this is one bill I can fully support. (Although, frankly, I was scared to vote for the proposition, because I was worried it was actually trying to end DST and that people were simply confused on the terminology, as usual.) I often dream of moving away from California, because there are a lot of things I don’t like about this state, but perma-DST could make me a perma-resident…
As I am typing this, it’s
If you disregard the flimsy arguments on both sides of the time change debate regarding speculative energy saving and dangerous walks to school and simply think about which time you enjoy more… Daylight Saving Time is the clear winner. Bright evenings are delightful and bright mornings are not practical in our clock-based culture.
I hear your complaints about changing the clock and to them I respond…
I agree. We are in Daylight Saving Time now. Let’s never change the clocks again.
But no matter what happens, when next November rolls around, please don’t talk about Daylight Saving Time, unless of course, you are lamenting its end.
