Like it or not, it’s that time again — when we “fall back” an hour and brace for darker evenings. On November 2, clocks will move back one hour as Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends. Beyond the collective sighs and extra cups of coffee, what real impact does this shift have on people — economically and personally?
Two Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) professors shared their insights.
“Originally, the idea was to save energy, though it’s often mistakenly linked to helping farmers,” said Dr. Jason Delaney, professor of economics in GGC’s School of Business. “Years ago, the vast majority of the workforce was in agriculture, lighting and heat were much less efficient and air conditioning was non-existent. None of that is the case today. As an economist, you look at the states that don’t change clocks and see that the impact, one way or another, is minimal. The relevance of that additional hour is harder to justify.”
While DST is a legal requirement under the Uniform Time Act of 1966, the push to standardize time actually began with trains.
“The railroads needed to formalize and normalize time because trains made it possible to move quickly across the country — whether transporting people or goods,” Delaney explained. “That created problems with coordinating departures and arrivals.”
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the need for consistent scheduling led to the creation of four U.S. time zones in 1883. In 1918, the Interstate Commerce Commission took over time coordination, officially adopting five zones — Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, and Alaska. Congress later created the Department of Transportation in 1966 to oversee the promotion and adoption of standardized time, which became law that same year through the Uniform Time Act.
Today, DST is observed nationwide except in Hawaii, most of Arizona, and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Delaney noted that the time change can temporarily affect productivity.
“When you change schedules, there will be a loss in productivity because your body is adjusting to a time change,” he said.
That loss of rhythm is something Dr. David Ludden, professor of psychology in GGC’s School of Liberal Arts, also sees from a biological perspective.
“When you shorten or lengthen a day, it disrupts the time your body thinks it’s time to sleep,” Ludden said.
“We aren’t built to change times quickly. Our bodies rely on external environmental cues — like the brightness of the sun in the morning and the dimming light in the evening — to regulate sleep cycles.”
To ease the transition, Ludden offered a few practical tips.
“When you’re traveling across time zones, set your phone to the destination time,” he advised. “And when you arrive, try to get outside into natural light — that helps reset your body clock. If that’s not possible, use brighter lights indoors during the day and dimmer lights in the evening to help your body adjust.”