Why do we feel happier when the sun’s out?
What's Up Docs?
BBC
4.4 • 659 Ratings
🗓️ 31 March 2026
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.
In this episode, Chris and Xand will shine a light on…light. They discuss why the sun can help lift our mood, and its effects on our sleep and general wellbeing. Joining them to discuss this is Professor Hester Parr, a professor of Human Geography with an interest in sunlight's effect on mental health and runs the research group Living with Seasonal Affective Disorder.
If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.
Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Professor Hester Parr Producer: Claire Justin Video Producer: Leon Gower Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby
At the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:07.3 | Their company's success helped build a nation. |
| 0:10.9 | The company is such a big part of Korea's economy. |
| 0:13.5 | But who are the family behind one of the world's tech giants? |
| 0:17.2 | They often say, look, we built the nation. |
| 0:19.2 | And without us, South Korea as it exists today, |
| 0:22.6 | would simply not be here. Inheritance, Samsung explores the real-life dramas of the Lee family |
| 0:28.3 | and their company. They are the equivalent of royalty. Listen first on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:36.1 | Hello everyone. Welcome to Radio 4's Health and Wellbeing podcast with us, Dr. Chris, |
| 0:41.5 | that's me and... I'm Dr. Zand. And Chris, I want to know what do you think the whole nation is |
| 0:47.0 | talking about at the moment. For the last few days in my household in the morning, the conversation |
| 0:52.2 | has focused on weather and light. I think that is |
| 0:56.3 | exactly right. We've got lots of national conversations, tea, queuing, but the weather is the big one, |
| 1:02.8 | particularly the light, the good weather, what a difference it is making to everyone's mood. |
| 1:08.9 | So that's what we're talking about today. |
| 1:14.8 | Chris, before we get into the main episode, what have you got for me? |
| 1:20.4 | I have a cautionary tale, which I will entitle, leave it to the professionals, and it's a bit embarrassing. So my kids go swimming every weekend and inevitably one of them now has a |
| 1:26.6 | small varuka, a plant to wot on the sole |
| 1:30.2 | of their foot. Now, yes, okay, good. This is good. It's a good beginning because it's very honest. |
| 1:37.5 | And I think everyone in the room is now glad that they're wearing shoes and looking at your |
| 1:41.7 | feet and wondering about your feet. But that's, we can't stigmatize stuff. So great. So great to lead with it. Bring it up. Get it out into the open. People might be saying, should I be shaming one of my three daughters? Well, you haven't named them. So let's not. I haven't named them. And also, I would say that in, this is a near universal experience. Almost everyone has them. It's okay. It's okay. And I thought, well, while |
| 2:02.4 | what you see with the varucca is often just the tiny pricks of the blood vessels that the varucca, |
... |
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