Here Comes the Sun and the Accompanying Endorphin High! — Dave’s Diary

With a forecast in the mid-80s through the weekend and 92 by Monday -- the next few days are going to be great -- but will they be addictive? Turns out that for some people they just might be.

That warm tingly feeling of the sun on the skin is a sure sign of the summer that arrives this weekend. But hold the SPF, a new study suggests sunbathing is in fact addictive.  Researchers found that mice put under a sunlamp produced endorphins, a feel-good chemical, in their bodies. 

 Endorphins are about as addictive heroin, and when the mice were deprived of their sunlamp fix they went into withdrawal. It's thought that the endorphin   reaction happens because sunlight is necessary for the body to produce vitamin D, which has numerous health benefits. 

At the same time experts caution that too much sun exposure is associated with a higher risk of skin cancer.  The state has made the use of tanning beds an 18-and-over indulgence but even the Legislature can't regulate sun worshippers! (Daily Mail)