In Defense of Sunlight The Surprising Science of Sun Exposure

Upending everything we thought we knew about sun exposure, this “dazzling book” (Nature) explains the many health benefits of light and offers easy ways we can all incorporate more of it into our lives.

For decades, we’ve been told that the healthiest relationship with the sun is no relationship at all—that we should hide from direct sunlight or face the consequences. But in this groundbreaking investigation, acclaimed journalist Rowan Jacobsen presents the growing body of medical research on the substantial health benefits of appropriate sun exposure.

In this resounding call to return to common sense, Jacobsen offers seven words of advice: Get sun. Not too much. Go outside. Weaving together decades of scientific research, this “eye-opening investigation” (Publishers Weekly) confirms what many of us instinctually understand: moderate sun exposure isn’t something to fear—it’s what we need. In fact, sunlight is one of the simplest and most equitable treatments for a variety of health issues, from poor sleep and depression to high blood pressure and heart disease.

Part scientific examination, part cultural reckoning, In Defense of Sunlight not only traces how our misguided approach to sun avoidance developed, and how better science is now overturning those beliefs, it also offers practical advice for reaping the benefits of sun without the risks. “Clear-eyed” (The Wall Street Journal), thoroughly researched, and passionately presented, this “fantastic book” (Here & Now) can help everyone to discover one of nature’s best balms—right outside our door.

Rowan Jacobsen writes about science and nature and the less-explored corners of the world for Harper’s, Outside, The Atlantic, Scientific American, Smithsonian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, MIT Technology Review, Businessweek, and others, and his work has been anthologized in The Best American Science & Nature Writing and other collections. He has received awards from the James Beard Foundation, the Society of American Travel Writers, and the Overseas Press Club. He is the author of nine books, including A Geography of Oysters, Fruitless Fall, and Truffle Hound, several of which have been named to Best Book of the Year lists by The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, NPR, and Publishers Weekly. He has performed with Pop-Up Magazine, lectured at Harvard and Yale, and appeared on CBS, NBC, and NPR. He has been an Alicia Patterson Foundation Fellow, writing about endangered diversity on the borderlands between India, Myanmar, and China; a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT, focusing on the environmental and evolutionary impact of synthetic biology; and a Nova Media Fellow, researching the science of sun exposure.