Citation

Hernæs KH, Skyrud KD. Econ. Hum. Biol. 2022; 46: e101151.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ehb.2022.101151

PMID

35717823

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 %).

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide; Daylight variation; Seasonality in suicides; Spring peak; Suicide rates