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> I don't understand why people seem so resistant to the idea that some sun is probably beneficial. A cynical take would be that it’s because there is no profi
by sholladay 2y ago
> I don't understand why people seem so resistant to the idea that some sun is probably beneficial.
A cynical take would be that it’s because there is no profit in sun exposure. Even places that would theoretically have a motivation to promote sun exposure, such as beaches and outdoor restaurants, have goals that are perfectly compatible with umbrellas and sunscreen and hats and sunglasses, etc. In fact, those are just complimentary sales for them. Tanning salons come to mind, but the sun is their biggest competitor.
> “basking in the sun” is almost certainly taking it too far
Plenty of animals sunbathe, though, not just humans. Lots of reptiles, of course, but my dog also does it every chance she can get.
- taeric 2y agoAmusingly, my dogs specifically will only sit in the shade outside. Same for the various snakes and other animals in the yard. Hard to know if that is avoiding sun, or avoiding predator birds, though. My guess would be the birds are far more of a concern for the animals.
- maipen 2y agoMy dogs and cats love sunbathing. But they intercalate between shade and sun all day. It’s about balance, that’s what I learned from observing them.
- mcswell 2y agoMy cat says sunbathing on the back of his (it's our, but I don't tell him that) couch is how he's reached his advanced age. He'll be 22 in a couple weeks.
- consteval 2y agoI'm no scientist, but I think scaly skin and fur MIGHT be different than human skin.
- sholladay 2y agoAnd those two are different from each other. It’s still the case that a wide variety of species seem to have evolved this way. I’m not saying our skin has the same tolerance - that seems unlikely. But I do think we benefit greatly from some level of sun exposure, ideally more than most people get today.
- consteval 2y agoI agree we benefit from sun exposure, what I don't agree with is a lot of the anti-science BS I'm seeing in this thread. 1. No, tanning isn't good. We've known that for a long, long time. Remember tanning beds? Why don't people do that anymore? 2. Yes, you DO produce vitamin D while wearing sunscreen 3. Yes, you DO get mental health benefits from being in the sun with sunscreen 4. No, sunscreen DOES NOT cause cancer These aren't even opinions. These people just don't know anything about anything, which is fine, but then they talk like they have it all figured out. Because their wrinkly granny survived the sun or something. Can we stop with blatant misinformation? Why is this still such a problem on the internet and why is it a problem on hacker news?