Starting Sunday evening, most people in the United States enjoyed a longer, brighter evening, signaling spring’s proximity. At 2 a.m. on Sunday, iPhones, laptops, and other self-regulated timekeepers moved their clocks one hour forward. Daylight saving time is usually unwelcomed, disrupting sleep-schedules with its inconvenient timing; however, it does repay us with spring and summer evenings creeping to 8 or 9 p.m. Daylight saving time remains relatively new in the United States and some other places around the world, and it is still a subject of occasional debate.

Daylight saving time had been tossed around and considered towards the end of the 19th century, but was not utilized until the first quarter of the 20th century. It is unclear which region was the first to set their clocks forward, but Germany is often credited for bringing the idea into the mainstream. Daylight saving time came during World War I. Theoretically, the extended daylight hours would decrease the use of coal and other artificial lighting. Soon after, most of Europe as well as the United States caught on.

Currently, daylight saving time is recognized or implemented in every state except Arizona and Hawaii; however, the Navajo nation in Arizona does choose to adjust with daylight saving time. Outside of the United States, Canada and Europe are the other main regions to utilize daylight saving time with the rest of the world’s uses being more scattered. According to the website Time and Date, 40 percent of the world’s countries use daylight saving time.

Despite the minor change of our time, much research and debate has gone into the arguments backing daylight saving time. Throughout its history, daylight saving time has been said to serve as a way to reduce energy consumption and promote outdoor activity. With extended daylight, people will use less indoor lighting and enjoy more time outside. The switch seems to benefit people such as 9-to-5 workers, who get to enjoy more of the day’s light in the spring and summer evenings.

While people do get a chance for more sun, the theory of saving energy has been mostly debunked. Some studies have shown a change in energy usage, but not much more than a one percent decrease. The state of Indiana ran a study that showed the opposite, finding an increase in energy use, probably due to air conditioning.

In general, the feelings toward daylight saving time are relatively balanced, with more in favor than not. According to CNN, as of 2017, 55 percent of Americans did not believe the time change disrupted or disturbed them. Those in favor of daylight saving time see benefits in increased sunlight and time spent outdoors. However, plenty of research finds the flaws in the disrupted time change. Dark mornings throw off circadian rhythms and lead to things such as an uptick in work and traffic accidents.

For now, daylight saving time seems to be reliably ingrained in the United States’ annual calendar. That being said, daylight saving time remains young and disputed, leaving the chance for a time in the future when we decide not to “spring forward.”