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People are sharing things teachers did in the ’80s and ’90s that would ‘never fly’ now

The typical kid’s experience in school is a lot different today than it was 30 to 40 years ago. It’s hard to say whether things are better or worse, but there’s been a sea change in how children are raised.

One negative development is that teachers tend to think parents are more likely to side with their kids over faculty in disputes than they were decades ago. On the positive side, corporal punishment is on the decrease, so students are much less likely to be physically punished for breaking the rules.

A Reddit user with the username u/theSandwichSister asked the ‘80s and ‘90s kids on the forum, “What’s something a school teacher did to you that would not fly today?” A lot of the responses were about the type of physical punishment and humiliation that used to happen in schools that would never happen these days.


There were also a lot of posts about teachers who smoked around their students. Can you imagine a kindergarten teacher lighting up in front of their students these days? They’d be fired in a flash.

Overall, the responses show that schools are a lot more concerned with the mental and emotional health of their students these days, which is a wonderful improvement. Schools also seem to be much more friendly environments to students who are people of color, LGBTQ or have disabilities.

Here are 17 of the best responses to the question, “What’s something a school teacher did to you that would not fly today?”

1.

“Not a teacher, but school one. If you read enough books during the year in elementary school you got to have a sleepover in the library. Like we brought sleeping bags and slept on the floor. In the morning they had griddles out and we made pancakes. I know, total nerds, but it was my favorite elementary school memory.” — 7askingforafriend

2.

“My elementary school principal would pull loose teeth. You could go to his office, have him pull your loose tooth and he would give you a lollipop.” — snowfuckerforreal

3.

“I told my biology teacher that I wasn’t feeling too well, he said that I didn’t look sick, and as punishment made me stand in the corner until I fainted.” — AustrianReaper

4.

“In high school, we would sometimes play knee soccer which was in our wrestling room (wall to wall wrestling mats) and was really just handball but on our knees. The PE teacher (football coach) let us play rough since it was an all male class and we were on our knees and couldn’t do too much damage. During the game, two of the students were grappling for the ball and as these things go, one of them accidentally knocked the other a little too aggressively. The kid that got hit (an known asshole of the school) got pissed and stood up and kicked the other kid.

The PE teacher (225lb jacked military hair cut) stormed over and shoved the kid who flew about 10 feet before crashing to the ground. The kid gets up ready to fight whoever shoved him and the teacher had closed the gap and started screaming at him. Then the teacher lectured the entire class about sportsmanship and honor. The teacher never got in any trouble.” — hangingonwith2fingers

5.

“In 5th grade, I was called to the office at my public school. I was a goody two-shoes so I had no idea why I was called, so I started tearing up thinking something bad must’ve happened to my family. Eventually, I was ushered into a room as my two best friends left. The principal and 2 other staff members then sat me down and showed me a piece of paper. It was a silly poem I wrote one of my friends about a good witch who granted wishes by mixing together some mundane ingredients. Apparently, their mother found the poem and complained to the school. Their response was to interview my friends about MY RELIGION.” — ktbunny

6.

“6th grade teacher Ms. Sullivan would take 3 kids every Friday to McDonald’s for lunch. She was cool as hell. Smoked during the drive and everything.” — SigP365SAS

7.

“My 3rd grade teacher had the whole class camp in her backyard after the last day of school. She took us to see the original TMNT movie in the theater, then we stayed up late telling ghost stories. One of my absolute fondest memories.” — Cambot1138

8.

“Yeah, there are a lot of negative things in this thread, which makes sense, but there are some ‘cool teacher’ things that we lost too. I got a ride home from school once from a male teacher in middle school (I’m female) when it was pouring rain and my mom wouldn’t come get me, but I bet that’s not allowed these days.” — rabidstoat

9.

“English teacher in high school used to cuss kids out for being noisy in class and if that didn’t work, he’d throw the blackboard eraser at us. I wasn’t on the receiving end of the eraser. That chalk would leave marks on kid’s backs for the rest of the day so everyone knew who pissed off Mr Charvet.” — Roscoe_Cracks_Corn

 

10.

“7th-grade science class, the teacher walked around with a beaker full of mercury and told us to stick a finger in it to feel how dense it was. Then he gave us each our own penny-size drop of mercury to play with at our desks, so we could see how it moved. I’m sure we were poisoned that day. Nowadays if a thermometer breaks they clear the school.” — weirdkid71

11.

“Not something done to me per se, but my 3rd grade teacher had a little office with a door inside our classroom, and she would smoke cigarettes in there while we were at lunch/recess.” — HutSutRawlson

 

12.

“Cheese Day in the Midwest. It was in first grade. For an entire day, all you ate was cheese. Cheese puffs, curls, sticks, slices, balls, and Doritos. Drank orange Hi-C as well. For 10+ years, smelling that fake cheese made me gag. After her wedding, and the birth of her son, my sister says Cheese Day the best day of her life. Wasn’t Wisconsin either.” — 2_Spicy_2_Impeach

13.

“They told us Pluto was a planet.” — Representative-Fig96

14.

“Best math teacher ever made us say numerator/denominator in Schwarzenegger voices as we were learning fractions.” — kittensington

15.

“High School, we were on campus, drove a van to the locker rooms because I was with The QB, Linebacker and a couple of linemen who needed to get crap from their lockers. We were drinking beer in the van, it was 1:30, the football coach sees us, stops the van, looks inside and sees the beer, and shook his head and told us to be careful and get off campus. I don’t think that would fly today.” — kentro2002

16.

“A lot of people are posting bad stuff, so let me share a good one. In 9th grade, in 1984, I had a class analyzing lyrics in pop music. Students brought in records by Led Zep and John Cougar and we’d discuss what they meant. Seriously a life-changing class. It makes me sad that younger students in America are so caught up in the rat race that they never had experiences like that.” — Adventuresphere

 

17.

“I had an awesome teacher who would send one of us to the shop (just a minute’s walk away) with enough money to get ice creams for everybody whenever it was hot and she didn’t feel like teaching.” — wanderingsteph

This article originally appeared on 08.30.22

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Kendrick Lamar Showed Off His Hometown Pride During His Surprise Compton College Commencement Speech

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Kendrick Lamar’s love for Compton, California is long documented. His hometown is often a central theme in songs, music influences, and creative collaborators. But Kendrick’s show of support for his stomping grounds extend far beyond his professional endeavors.

Yesterday (June 7), Kendrick dropped into Compton College’s 2024 commencement ceremony. In a surprising turn of events for graduates, the institution announced the “Not Like Us” emcee would deliver its official commencement speech.

During the address, Kendrick expressed his pride in the graduates and how they were carrying the torch for the city. Read the “DNA.” rapper’s speech transcript below. Further, you can watch Compton College’s full 2024 commencement ceremony, Kendrick Lamar’s remarks begins at the 42:47 minute mark.

I wanted to come out here just to tell y’all how much I appreciate y’all. I’m proud of the city of Compton, I’m proud of Compton College, most importantly I’m proud of the graduates out here. I know what it takes. You had a lot of hardship, not only in your house, in your communities, but most importantly, in yourself, and that’s the toughest thing to overcome. We’re still growing day by day, brick by brick, making sure we develop, not only in physical form but in the spiritual as well. And I still believe in everything we’re doing, brick by brick, it’s time that we change the narratives. Some people tell us this generation don’t have what it takes. Gen Z. We talk about it all day. They try to pull us down and say we don’t know what we’re doing. They wrong though. Because not only you all have what it takes, you have something bigger. You have the heart and the courage to be independent thinkers. There’s nothing more valuable than that.

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Diddy Has Been Stripped Of His Honorary Howard University Degree Amid Ongoing Abuse And Sexual Assault Allegations

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Another organization has decided to publicly cut ties with Diddy. Yesterday (June 7), Howard University has officially denounced its former student.

By way of The Dig (the school’s campus news hub), the university announced its decision to strip Diddy of his honorary degree while expressing disgust over his physical assault on Cassie (seen in the video footage obtained by CNN).

Although Diddy never formally graduated from the prestigious historically Black institution, in 2014 he was bestowed with the honorary degree for his career’s work and philanthropic efforts at the university, which included a scholarship fund.

Read Howard University’s full statement below.

The Howard University Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to accept the return by Mr. Sean Combs of the honorary degree conferred upon him in 2014. This acceptance revokes all honors and privileges associated with the degree. Accordingly, the Board has directed that his name be removed from all documents listing honorary degree recipients of Howard University.

Mr. Combs’ behavior as captured in a recently released video is so fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs that he is deemed no longer worthy to hold the institution’s highest honor.

The University is unwavering in its opposition to all acts of interpersonal violence.

The Board has also directed the University administration to immediately take the following actions: terminate a 2016 gift agreement with Mr. Combs, disband the scholarship program in his name, return his $1 million contribution, and terminate a 2023 pledge agreement with the Sean Combs Foundation.

No payments toward the $1 million pledge have been due or made by the Sean Combs Foundation as of this date, therefore no funds are due to be returned under the 2023 pledge agreement.

Diddy hasn’t issued a statement regarding the board’s decision. But this wasn’t the only commemorative honor up for review.

Last month, the Hollywood Walk Of Fame committee revealed that Diddy’s star would not be removed due to the body’s “lack of control” in the process. On the other hand, New York City’s Eric Adams revealed that officials are considering revoking Diddy’s Key To The City.

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Jason Kidd Called Jaylen Brown The Celtics ‘Best Player’ And Explained Why

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The Boston Celtics thumped the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, as Boston reminded everyone why they spent the entire season with the league’s best record. The Celtics caught fire in the first quarter and ran out to a 17-point lead that they never relinquished, eventually cruising to a 107-89 win.

While the offense impressed early, with Kristaps Porzingis providing a huge lift off the bench in his return after more than a month out with a calf injury, it was their defense that suffocated the Mavs and led them to the win. Going into Game 2, Dallas has to figure out how to get more out of their offense, as Luka Doncic was the only one that produced much of anything, as Boston seemed happy to let him try to score rather than be a facilitator.

The Mavs seemingly face an uphill challenge, and they might need some help from Boston to get this series level going back to Dallas. The good news is, this Celtics squad has been known to have a letdown in Game 2 (they’ve twice lost a Game 2 in this postseason) and Jason Kidd seems to be looking to do his part to create a bit of internal discord on the Boston side. On Saturday, Kidd was asked about the challenge that Jaylen Brown presents in this series, and he promptly explained why he feels Brown is Boston’s best player.

“Well, Jaylen’s their best player,” Kidd said, matter of factly. “So just looking at what he does defensively, he picked up Luka full court. He got to the free throw line. He did everything. And that’s what your best player does. Just understanding, he plays both sides, defense and offense, at a high rate and he’s been doing that the whole playoffs. When you talk about the Eastern Conference [Finals] MVP, and it seems like he’s continued to pick up where he left off. He’s continued to play at a high rate, we’ve just got to be a little bit more physical with him and, again, we’ve got to keep him off the free throw line and out of the paint.”

Jayson Tatum is typically regarded as the Celtics best player, with Brown carrying a sizable chip on his shoulder, feeling often overlooked in the discussion of stars in the NBA — this year he finished 16th in All-NBA voting, missing out on the third-team by one spot. This is on the surface level a compliment from Kidd, but it certainly feels like a calculated play (with some plausible deniability) to see if he can play into the rumblings that there’s at least a hint of jealousy and competition between the two Boston stars.

As many in Boston will tell you, that is a creation of people on the outside, and Brown and Tatum don’t just get along professionally but are friends off the court. I don’t anticipate this comment from Kidd suddenly tanking the Celtics and creating a rift between their stars, but I also can’t fault him for at least trying to play some mind games, because the Mavs need to get Boston off of their game a bit in any way they can.

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Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan ‘Doesn’t Care’ About ‘Appeasing’ Fans With The Band’s Live Setlist

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The summer is officially upon us. For music fans, this means you can expect to see most of your favorite acts live at some point over the next few weeks (here are a few of Uproxx’s recommendations). But if you’re a day one Smashing Pumpkins supporter, don’t expect the run-of-the-mill performance.

With the “Beguiled” musicians slated to hit the road for their The World Is A Vampire Tour across Europe, ground rules have already been determined. On June 4, during on interview with Kerrang!, frontman Billy Corgan made it clear that he “doesn’t care” about “appeasing fans” when it comes to the band’s setlist.

“I don’t play any songs I don’t want to play,” he said. “I don’t care if they’re a classic or not,” he told the outlet. “If I don’t want to play it, I just don’t play it. I don’t put that on the audience like, ‘Well, I’ve got to play this one for you.’ I think that’s kind of cheese.”

But there’s a method to the band’s live show madness. According to the musician, leaning toward less popular tracks will encourage concertgoers to revisit their past projects. “Here’s the best way I would say it: the best show for me would be, you’re a fan that really is mostly focused on the older music,” he said. “But then you might hear five, six, seven other songs, and you find yourself going, ‘I don’t know this one,’ so you look up one, and go, ‘Oh, that was a deep cut from 1996. I didn’t know that one. It was some B-side. That’s interesting.’ And then someone making the same discovery about your new stuff, but thinking it was old. I’m not talking about causing confusion. I’m talking about having the person be curious about that.”

Smashing Pumpkins aren’t the only musicians who’ve spoken out about their setlists. Before his 2024 Coachella appearance, Tyler The Creator scolded users online for attempting to bully his song selection.

With Smashing Pumpkins’ first show slated for July 6, the public will see if their creative decision paid off.

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The MLB Players Association Accuses Bad Bunny’s Sports Agency Of ‘Egregious And Systemic Violations’ In Legal Filing

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Rebellious spirits are beloved in music. But Bad Bunny is learning that doesn’t quite work in sports. Since April, the “Baticano” rapper’s sports agency, Rimas Sports, has been engulfed in a heated legal battle with the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA).

According to Billboard, on June 5, things were dialed up a notch. In a new filing, the MLBPA outlined several alleged “egregious and systemic violations” to combat Rimas Sports’ discrimination and being targeted by a “pre-determined investigation” claim.

The motion stated that its decision to ban the agency was due to its supposed findings that Rimas gave out improper gifts to players such as VIP concert tickets, granted suite access to prospects at outside sporting events, and extended interest-free loan offers.

“The regulations strictly forbid such inducements,” wrote the union’s lawyers. “Player agents must compete for clients based on the quality of their representation, not the quality of their gifts.”

The representative went on to outline how if the agency’s alleged actions were left unpunished, it could cause damage across the league. “Immunizing Rimas from the consequences of its own bad conduct will harm players and other player agents by encouraging player-player agent relationships borne out of perquisites, not performance,” the rep wrote. “What Rimas seeks is a get out of jail free card for itself. The public has no interest in such an outcome. This kind of conduct became culture at Rimas.”

The agency has not yet responded to MLBPA’s latest motion. However, last month, attorneys for Rimas did issue a statement regarding the union’s initial ruling.

“The ‘good ole boy’ order of baseball sports agency … was being put at risk, as these Puerto Rican ‘outsiders’ were disrupting baseball sports agency order too much, too fast,” wrote Rimas attorneys. “This was something that the MLBPA and Rimas Sports’ competitors would not allow.”

Rimas’ went on to refer to the “extraordinary and unprecedented” measures from the MLBPA as a “death penalty” on its operations. Rimas claimed the ruling killed its deal with then prospect client Ronald Acuña Jr. Those actions being, as outlined by Billboard as, decertification of one of its agent, preventing co-owner and Bad Bunny’s longtime manage Noah Assad from applying for certification, and blocking already certified sports agents from coming aboard the team.

While the MLBPA appears to be stern in its decision, it doesn’t appear this legal fight is over.

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Andrew Huberman wows Jimmy Fallon with transformational stress hack on ‘Tonight Show’

There’s no such thing as stress-free living. Sure, we can mitigate it through various mindfulness practices and lifestyle choices—meditating, getting good sleep, not overdoing the caffeine, etc. But still, there will inevitably be moments throughout the day that cause some sort of anxiety. And more often than not, we won’t be able to say, “excuse me, I just need to pop out for 20 minutes to do some yoga. Brb.”

Luckily, even those moments can be manageable. All you gotta do is breathe. Yes, really.

Recently, neuroscientist Andrew Huberman made a guest appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” where he discussed a variety of topics frequently brought up on his popular podcast, including the benefits of being exposed to sunlight within the first hour of waking.

Huberman then guided Fallon and the audience through a simple breathing exercise that’s “the fastest and best way to de-stress” in real time.


First, everyone did a double inhale through their nose—a complete inhale that filled the lungs followed by one more inhale to “sneak in a bit more air.” Then they did a full exhale through their mouth, completely emptying out their lungs.

Watch:

As Huberman explained to Fallon, this type of breathing, called “physiological sighs,” was discovered by scientists in the 1930s. It’s something we do naturally throughout the day and during sleep, and it works by adjusting the levels of carbon dioxide to oxygen in our bloodstream, which affect the brain. Doing just 1, maybe 2, intentional physiological sighs “brings your level of stress down immediately.”

Huberman’s exercise (which he affirms is not a “hack”) was met by an exuberant applause from the audience, and lots of praise from online viewers.

Take a look at some of these comments:

“The silence of the audience’s focused attention is audible.”

“I love that he has no time for small talk and is determined to get across as much science as possible in the allotted time. Service to humanity.”

“Andrew Huberman is a national treasure! He teaches us so much about so many interesting topics and does it in a way that keeps us wanting more.”

“Huberman is the best thing that has happened on the internet in recent years.”

“I see Professor Huberman as the ultimate example. He does what he loves, tries to improve himself daily both as a professional and a person, shares his experience with people who have the same enthusiasm. More importantly, he shares this experience for FREE for the sake of sharing it.”

If we ever needed more proof that audiences are longing for more substance, this is it. If you’re not following Huberman but want more tips just like this, his Youtube channel is only a click away.

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Jennifer Garner works with paparazzo to create an act of kindness for homeless man

A paparazzo caught actor Jennifer Garner performing a touching act of kindness. Instead of being annoyed at having the moment filmed by the photographer, she asked him to help.

Garner was at the beach in Santa Monica, California, handing out bags of necessities to the homeless when she came across a man in a wheelchair who had no socks or shoes. Garner took the socks off her feet, gave them to the man and then attempted to hand over her shoes, but they were too small.

Garner then briskly walked over to the photographer filming her and asked him for assistance.


“What size feet do you have?” she asked the photographer repeatedly. “Can I buy your shoes for him? He needs a shoe.” When the random paparazzo asked what size feet the homeless man was, Garner replied, “10 and a half.”

@pinklover1969

Jennifer Gardner lead with kindness … takong the time to help out a homeless man in LA. Her shoes must not have fit because she rushed over to the photographer and offered to buy his shoes. #kindness #jg #jennifergarner #homelessman #spreadlove #alwayshelpothers #hockeyhelpsthehomeless #fyp #tmznews #trending #foryou

“Oh, I’m 11! Want me to give it to him? I can give it to him,” he responded, adding that Garner didn’t have to pay him for the shoes. The photographer had a blanket to give to the homeless man as well.

When Garner came across the man in the wheelchair, she was handing out plastic bags filled with necessities, similar to those Upworthy reported on in March of 2022. Garner created a viral video for Instagram that showed how the average person could make bags to give a “random act of kindness” to someone in need.

The underlying message of the post is that with a bit of forethought and preparedness, we all can help people experiencing homelessness.

“Gather these essentials in a quart-sized Ziploc bag and keep them in your car to give away when you see someone in need,” she wrote on the post before listing some items that can really help a homeless person get through the day. “A pair of thick socks. Kleenex. Hand wipes. Disposable toothbrushes. Chapstick. A couple of granola bars. I forgot this time, but like to add feminine hygiene products, too. Add $5, $10, $20 and a smile.”

Homelessness has steadily risen in the United States by about 6% yearly since 2017. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, roughly 421,000 people were homeless in 2022, and nearly 128,000 were chronically homeless, meaning they didn’t have a place to stay for a year or more.

The rise in people on the streets is distressing, and we all hope our leaders can get together to stop the steady increase. But until then, we are all called to do what we can to help alleviate the suffering we see on the streets.

Garner is a beautiful example of taking direct action to make the world a better place. Whether she calls a senator to help pass gun control legislation, buys boxes of books to help school teachers, or helps the homeless, her philosophy seems pretty simple. If you see something wrong, do something. It’s everyone’s responsibility to make the world a better place.

This article originally appeared on 9.22.23

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Woman sparks debate when she’s ‘shocked’ to learn not everyone stands in the shower the same way

Lifestyle influencer Alexandra Lee, 29, was shocked to learn that she and her mother have opposite showering stances and it kicked off an important debate on the platform: what’s the correct way to stand in the shower?

It all started when Lee decided to renovate her bathroom and wasn’t sure where to put the bench in the shower, so she asked her mom for her advice. “When I shower, the shower head is behind me, so the water is like on my hair and down my back. Of course, I’ll turn around occasionally and move around,” Lee said in her video before noting that her mother stands in the opposite direction.

“But she showers primarily facing the shower head, so the water hits her in the face and down her body,” Lee continued. “She’s shocked that I do the opposite and I’m shocked that she does the opposite. I feel like the normal way to shower is with the shower right behind you and you’re facing that way.”


now I need to know, what is the normal way to shower?!? 🚿

@alittlebitlovey

now I need to know, what is the normal way to shower?!? 🚿

It may seem strange that Lee hadn’t considered that there’s more than one way to stand in the shower. However, it was a big revelation for many people because it sparked a pretty intense debate on Lee’s TikTok page and the video received over 5.8 million views.

“Is anyone else surprised by this?” Lee asked.

The comments suggest there is an equal number of nozzle-facers and nozzle face-away-ers. But the most passionate folks in the debate were those who shower with their backs to the nozzle. They can’t seem to understand why anyone would intentionally stand in front of the nozzle and have water continuously shot in their faces, especially when it feels so nice to have hot water sprayed on your back.

“Who the hell faces the water?”user2778056546386 wrote. “Facing the water is unhinged,” Not Jennifer Lawrence added. “If I face the water, I’m gonna drown,” Denise Pettersson commented. “Voluntarily getting waterboarded doesn’t sound fun at all,” Kristina Kubrick wrote.

“I face away! What the hell, people FACE THE WATER?!?” Erin Trent Hohman exclaimed.

There are also those with no preference and alternate throughout their shower session. “I rotate continuously like a kebab,” gentledreams wrote. “I constantly move around like a rotisserie chicken! Equal time on both sides,” Stormi Booke added.

It would seem that there is no wrong way to stand in the shower, but Dr. Cameron Rokshar, associate clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, says that one way better protects your skin.

“The real scientific answer behind it has to do with moisturizing your skin,” Dr. Rokshar told Today.com, noting that facing away from the nozzle has a distinct advantage. “The more exposure you get to water, and especially hot water, the drier your skin becomes. If you face the shower and have a whole bunch of water hit your face for 10 or 15 minutes, and you get and out and do nothing about it, that has a drying effect. Water, as it evaporates, takes more water with it.”

This article originally appeared on 12.14.23

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How a simple shift in your morning routine can improve your sleep and energize you all day

Most of us have a desire to improve our health, sleep more soundly, have more energy and just generally feel better in our daily lives. And yet those things feel elusive to many of us, so we’re always on the hunt for hacks that can help us—and if those hacks don’t require a huge change in lifestyle or herculean feats of willpower, all the better.

Thankfully, there’s one small change you can make to your morning routine that can make a big difference in how you feel, think and sleep, and it’s refreshingly simple.

In a nutshell: Go outside and face the sun. More specifically, go outside as soon as possible after waking, but definitely within the hour, and look toward the sun for 2 to 10 minutes if it’s a bright, sunny day and a little longer on a cloudy one.

Most of us know we get vitamin D from sun exposure on our skin, but that’s really not what getting morning sunlight is about. It’s about the sun’s light energy hitting our eyes.


As Dr. Andrew Huberman, Stanford University neuroscience professor and opthamologist, explains, “This is not some ‘woo’ biological thing. This is grounded in the core of our physiology. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of quality peer-reviewed papers showing that light viewing early in the day is the most powerful stimulus for wakefulness throughout the day and it has a powerful positive impact on your ability to fall and stay asleep at night.”

Huberman calls it a “power tool” for getting a great night’s sleep and lists it as one of the six pillars people should invest in every day—morning sunlight, daily movement, quality nutrition, stress control, healthy relationships and deep sleep.

While the advice to look toward the sun flies in the face of all the times we’ve been warned not to look at the sun, in the early morning, the sun is less intense and you don’t need to look directly at it to get the benefits of its light rays. The photons still enter your eyes through indirect light, triggering the cortisol spike that sets your circadian rhythm in order.

“Getting sunlight in your eyes first thing in the morning is absolutely vital to mental and physical health,” Huberman says. “It is perhaps the most important thing that any and all of us can and should do in order to promote metabolic well-being, promote the positive functioning of your hormone system, get your mental health steering in the right direction.”

He explains that artificial lights aren’t the same and won’t have the same impact. Conversely, artificial light can mess up your circadian rhythm if you look at them too late at night or when you should be sleeping.

“There’s this asymmetry in our retinal, in our eye biology and our brain’s biology, whereby early in the day, right around waking, you need a lot of light, a lot of photons, a lot of light energy,” he says on his podcast. “And artificial lights generally won’t accomplish what you need them to accomplish. But at night, even a little bit of artificial light can really mess up your so-called circadian, your 24-hour clocks, and all these mechanisms we’re talking about.”

The good news is that stepping out your front door and standing in the sun doesn’t require a whole lot of willpower—at least not like exercise or resisting screens in the evening does. Simply go outside and stand there (though walking is even better). Give it a try and see if it makes a difference for you.

And you can also see Dr. Huberman go a lot more in depth about the benefits of sunlight and light therapies of all kinds here.

This article originally appeared on 1.13.24