Heat kills. Sunshine? Maybe not so much.
UK summer is here. That means the usual warnings. Seek shade. Cover up. Stay in the dark. We’ve been fed this advice for years, so the public assumes the science is settled. Sun is bad. Avoid it at all costs.
Turns out we’ve been looking at this backwards. People who spend time in the light are healthier. Much healthier.
I’ve been chasing this rabbit hole for nine years. It started with a few weird studies. I couldn’t let it go. My new book, In Defense of Sunlight, sums it all up. The punchline is simple. We fear the sun too much. Most of us would actually do better with a little more of it.
More than just vitamin D
We used to think sunlight just made vitamin D. Wrong. It produces dozens of beneficial molecules. They lower blood pressure. They curb inflammation. They make you feel awake, energetic, and just… better. Your brain releases endorphins. The outcome? Less disease. You live longer.
The numbers don’t lie. A 2024 study looked at 88,000 people in the UK Biobank. They wore light-sensing wrists. Tracked them for years. Those who got the most daylight? 34% less likely die from anything than those in the dim. Even after controlling for diet, exercise, and other lifestyle factors, the gap stayed. Light-getters were 17% more likely to stay alive.
Those who received the most daylight were significantly more likely to survive the study period.
But what about the skin cancer scare? Aren’t you asking for trouble?
Sure. Sun exposure does increase skin cancer risk. But it’s less deadly than we’ve been led to believe. Most cases are minor. Easy to cut out. Melanoma is the nasty one. And it’s rare. In the UK, skin cancer kills about 3,500 a year. That’s 1% of total deaths from cancer or heart disease. Downplaying cancer is bad. I’m not saying ignore it. But if telling people to hide is raising their risk of dying from heart disease or stroke? Maybe we need a new chat.
The anchor of fear
Why do we ignore these benefits? Because we’re not getting much sun to begin with. The danger isn’t getting burned. The danger is getting zero exposure. And more people are doing exactly that.
We stick to old ideas. It’s called anchoring bias. We grab the first fact we hear—”Sun causes cancer”—and cling to it like a life raft. Institutions hate admitting they were wrong. The powers that be spent decades telling you to hide. It’s hard for them to pivot. So we stay in the dark.
So what now? There’s no single rule. It depends on who you are. Where you are. What the season is doing.
Context is everything
The “hate the sun” rules started in Australia. It’s hot there. The sky is bright. The population is largely fair-skinned. Bad mix for the sun. The advice made sense there. It led to massive vitamin D deficiency, but okay. The logic held.
The UK isn’t Australia. The sun is lower. The light is weaker. We need different rules.
On bright days, sunscreen is smart. It blocks UV rays. Yes, it stops vitamin D production. But other wavelengths get through. Those wavelengths fix your sleep. They align your circadian rhythm. They lower anxiety. By protecting you, sunscreen actually lets more people go outside. Which is the whole point.
Know your skin. Fair skin? Blonde hair? Red hair? You are at higher risk. Be careful. More melanin? Your risk drops. If your skin is darker, UK sun is unlikely to give you skin cancer. You’ll likely reap the biggest health benefits.
The history of why we became sun-phobic is weird. The science is even weirder. I’m saving the rest for the book.
For now, step out. It’s northern summer. The light is brief. It’s good light.
Don’t let it pass you by. ☀️
