Study implies that electricity creates unnatural cycle for humans

By Staff Writer

A new study that appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that the existence of electricity may contribute to behavioral and emotional problems in humans.

Researchers from The Rockefeller University were inspired by Sigmund Freud's statement that modern society was hard on human psychology because it forced individuals to get along with each other in unnaturally close quarters. To test another major aspect of the developed world, the team examined the disrupt of natural sleep cycles in rats by changing their lighting schedule.

Researchers placed mice in a setting that had a 20-hour light-dark cycle, which was at odds with their natural 24-hour circadian cycle. After six weeks, the mice got fatter, had less mental flexibility and were more impulsive than rodents who were kept on their natural schedules.

Since the invention of electricity, many humans are able to operate at all hours of the day, which leads to significantly less sleep and interruptions in their circadian cycles. The scientists speculated that, like Freud's theory on proximity, modern inventions are unnatural to the evolved human. This could, in part, explain why millions of Americans experience physical and emotional problems.

Many adolescents who do not sleep eight or nine hours per night can benefit from tough love. Parents may consider limiting the amount of sugar in their teens' diet and prohibiting Internet and television use at night.