Effects of Time Changes on Human Behavior

For several years, experts have frantically attempted to explain human behavior without much success.

Effects of Time Changes on Human Behavior
For several years, experts have frantically attempted to explain human behavior without much success. Some have concluded and come close to the knowledge of how behavior is formed, but showed considerable lack of details of the exact picture.

Human Behavior


Many of these experts don’t see beyond their noses. They often missed the mark simply because they have psychological issues that were left unresolved. This obstructed or got in their way though. They couldn’t see the true secret responsible for human behavior.


Most of the so called therapies nowadays don’t really solve the exact cause of behavior. Rather they attempt to walk round it which may produce very unpleasant results. They educate people to simply suppress these feelings so that they can control their behavior. But this isn’t just right. Your attempt to suppress feelings may result in the clients suffering from many mental and physical illnesses.


Frankly speaking, it isn’t quite easy to change behavior though, having lived with it for many years. Behavioral change takes a pretty long time if you make up your mind to do something about it. Otherwise, you may need to leave the way you are for the rest of your life.

Time Change and Behavior


However, one key important factor that has several effects on human behavior is changes in time. If you ever had terrible nightmares before, it will be quite easy to understand how having good night rest affect our behavior. Those pretty smaller changes in our sleep patterns may amazingly trigger notable unpredictable behavior at day time.

Clocks Go Back – Daylight Saving Time


Germany adopted this Daylight Saving Time (DST) first in 1916, to save energy during World War I. Other countries were not left behind, they quickly followed. In the 1970s, at the time of Arab oil embargo, the U.S. Congress gave approval for an emergency yearlong DST.


When clocks went back in the United Kingdom, this would have provided an extra hour of sleep. This may perhaps be a source of joy to the idle hands. Of course, it means more sleeping time.  Surprisingly, researchers have been experimenting on the impact of sleep on behavior. But the reports were rather somehow shocking. It was reported that there were more likely incidence of assault in the UK as a result.


Recent papers published by the University of Pennsylvania found that cases of assault went 2.8% higher the Monday after the clock went back compared with the following Monday. Perhaps lack of sleep is now attributable to irritability and aggressiveness to people in this locality. And this may not be an isolated case. Good night sleep or rest is an essential antidote for the previous day’s stress and depression. Get a nice rest and stay refreshed.


The effect was almost the exact opposite when the clock went forward. It led to 2.9% reduction in assaults. People might be fondly irritable. Nevertheless, this is of no effect if they had taken a good night rest anyway.

Daylight Saving Time effect on Traffic Accidents

Likewise, it has been observed that there were more deaths due to traffic accidents the Monday after the clocks shifted forward. But the observations for changes after the clock go back seem somewhat inconsistent.

Anthony Boldin, of EndDaylightSavingTime.org, reported a study from the University of Colorado (Boulder) where there is an increase in fatal car crashes in the United States. It noted 17% increase in traffic accident-related deaths just the Monday immediately after clocks moved an hour forward during the spring.

Nonetheless, before you look down harshly on daylight saving time as sleep disrupting and violence-inducing, it is worthy to note that the effects were short-lived. Long deep into the summer, the benefits of daylight saving time started manifesting in no small measure.


Time Change on Personality


However, it is a general saying that someone personality has drastically changed over the years. This is pretty erroneous. Personalities don’t change or get altered with age. This may be a shocking revelation. Nevertheless, some temperaments become well pronounced with time. This is the very reason a person who had been negative in childhood will become grouchy at adulthood. And sometimes, those that were positive when in school will still be friendly as they age.

Causes of Personality Change


Unexpectedly, some personality changes may show up. But often, these are as a result of mental or physical illness or an injury of some sort. Having feelings of disoriented, confused, depressed, paranoid behavior, or express violent behavior and delusions are probable consequences of alcohol or drug abuse or sometimes undetected illnesses.

Conclusion


Therefore, take a step to investigate the root cause before casting aspersion on the person whose behavior suddenly changed significantly over the years. If possible, identify the causes of these personality changes.


Date Of Update: 28 November 2017, 23:04