Exploring the science behind Daylight Saving and TimeZones! #DST

Don’t forget to change your clock this weekend.

Fall Back and Spring Forward. Twice a year, based on where you live, you might have to change your clocks. Daylight Saving Time begins in March and ends in November. Here are some resources that explain the science behind it based on how deeply you want to explore daylight saving time (not savings)-

Since DST is not standardized around the world, each country can have its own rules for DST. Explore the complexity of how DST is observed by different countries here. For example, in the US, DST starts on the second Sunday of March, but in the EU and UK, it starts on the last Sunday of March. Without a cohesive standardized practice, each country pretty much comes up with its own rules regarding DST and it can change over time (pun intended).

One of the best explanations out there behind DST are below -

Professional [13 minutes]

Source: PBS

Practitioner [6 minutes 40 seconds]

Source: YouTube

Apprentice [2 minutes]
BBC - Daylight Savings from Sun & Moon on Vimeo.

Finally, one of the science videos that explain how sleep and mind is affected by daylight saving time changes: NOVICE: [2 minutes]

On a more related note, TimeZone is a fascinating concept. How many of you knew the entire country of China has only one timezone? Read about it here (Atlantic) or here (NY Times). India also mostly follows one timezone, which is also odd for such a large country. As of 2021, Over 2 Billion people observe time zones that might be different from others, which reminds us how complex our world is. Here are 14 other examples of odd time zones around the world. Always good to have a global perspective.

Here is a more in-depth look at India's Time Zone challenges:

Source: Nutshell

So where do you stand on Daylight Savings and TimeZones in China or India? Have you discovered other awesome resources regarding DST? Share away! Bonus: If you want to schedule a meeting across the world where you have to take time zones into account, this is one of my favorite tools.

We end with a funny trailer on DST