Show notes

Episode title: Enjoying enough of the sun

In this episode, Greg Dickens and I talk about how moderate hardship at the right points in childhood seems to be protective against anxiety. We look at the evidence on screen time and shortsightedness. We then discuss why sun exposure is vital for health, why it can be damaging, and how parents can help children learn healthy sun behaviours.

* When children grow stronger after hardship [00:44 ]

* How screen time is linked to myopia [05:14 ]

* How our body reacts to the sun [11:38 ]

* How sun exposure can damage health [12:57 ]

* How sun exposure can improve health [14:05 ]

* How our bodies have evolved to get the right amount of sun exposure [17:30 ]

* Why our WEIRD relationship with the sun is dysfunctional [22:06 ]

* How we can set children up with the right mindset, behaviours, and equipment for lifelong healthy sun exposure [24:27 ]

* Is eating mud good or bad for children? [31:52 ]

Resources mentioned in this article

* How hardship affects anxiety in childhood: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44271-025-00193-x

* How screen time affects myopia: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2830598

* Why shortsightedness happens and how to avoid it:

* Getting the right balance of sun exposure

* Cows like shade: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159107001037

* Soil microbes and stress resilience : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31887415/

* How meat consumption (especially of mammalian meat) affects levels of inflammation: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.1015566/full

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit guenbradbury.substack.com