Project examines how switch to winter time affects wellbeing – either positive or negative – and time perception

Does the prospect of darker evenings make you feel gloomy, or will you relish the extra hour in bed for one morning? Scientists are launching a study to better understand how the annual switch back to winter time affects people’s wellbeing and time perception – and they need your help.

In the UK, the clocks are due to go back at 2am on Sunday 27 October. Previous studies have largely focused on the negative effects of the spring transition to daylight saving time (DST) on people’s sleep, cognitive performance and propensity to accidents, but less is known about the impact of the autumn change – or how these biannual events affect our perception of the passage of time.