The impact of daylight on suicide rates

Kjersti Helene Hernæs and Katrine Damgaard Skyrud

Economics & Human Biology, 2022, vol. 46, issue C

Abstract: Since Durkheim and Morselli found a spring peak in suicides in the late 19th century, researchers have presented possible explanations, including daylight variation, for this seasonal pattern. Our identification strategy exploits the idiosyncratic variation in daylight within Norwegian regions, arising from the country’s substantial latitudinal range. We use full population data for a period of 45 years in a pre-registered research design. We find a small and non-significant relationship: One extra hour of daylight increases the suicide rate by merely 0.75 % (95 % CI: −0.4 % to 1.9 %).

Keywords: Suicide; Suicide rates; Spring peak; Daylight variation; Seasonality in suicides (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:46:y:2022:i:c:s1570677x22000478

DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2022.101151

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