Regular exposure to sunlight can have benefits on the brain that few know about. Here’s what the study says
Since the dawn of time we have observed the sun, studied and even worshiped in some religious beliefs. The importance of our star for our life and for our planet has always been understood.
But now some researchers wanted to highlight with a study the role of sunlight with regard to the beneficial effects on our health, especially on our brain. Few are aware of these incredible advantages and for this reason we want to deepen the topic in this article.
The incredible benefits of sunlight on our brain: what the study says
Research conducted in Finland has shown that the Sunlight can have amazing benefits on our brains. Exposure to sunlight, in fact, would have positive repercussions on the cognitive function of young and middle-aged people. Approximately 1,838 participants were included in the research, on whom information relating to their residential history and meteorological data was evaluated. This data provided insight into their exposure to sunlight. The researchers investigated taking into account residence, as well as the socioeconomic conditions of the neighborhood where they lived and their education.
Data from the study suggested an average residential exposure to sunlight greater than one year could be associated with improvements in general cognition. In particular, performance such as learning, visual processing, memory and attention all saw marked improvement.
Among those who had higher average exposure and those who had lower average exposure, there was a cognitive age difference of 2-4 years! Smaller time windows were then considered, such as 2 months or a single year. In this case, the association between sunlight exposure and improved cognitive performance was less clear. The test results therefore suggested that a good exposure to sunlight can indeed prove effective in improving people’s cognitive condition. But this, however, must take place over a rather extended period of time.
Furthermore, the researchers themselves specify that there is no real causal link. Furthermore, it is not possible to obtain a true generalization of the results at a global level. It is therefore certain that exposure to sunlight can really have beneficial effects on our health, but further research is needed to concretely quantify these positive aspects.