2025-10-28
4 分钟The Economist Hello, this is Alok Jar,
host of Babbage, our weekly podcast on science and technology.
Welcome to Editors Pics.
We've chosen an unmissable article from the latest edition of The Economist.
Please do have a listen.
Few people enjoy the gloom that comes with winter in the world's higher latitudes.
In up to a tenth of the population,
the long nights can trigger a type of depression known as seasonal effective disorder, or SAD.
The exact physiological underpinnings of the disorder are not clear.
Possible culprits include lower levels of melatonin,
a hormone that regulates sleeping patterns, a drop in levels of serotonin,
a neurotransmitter, and disruption to the body's internal circadian clock,
which controls all sorts of bodily processes.
Antidepressants may help, but those often come with side effects.
Many people prefer to treat the root cause by buying gadgets designed to emit bright light in the hope of banishing the gloom that causes sad in the first place.
All sorts are available,
from devices that look like ordinary desk lamps to ones that resemble a tablet or smartphone on a stand.
Many doctors recommend them as a first-line treatment for the disorder.
How well they actually work is tricky to test.
In a drug trial, for instance,