Does putting the clocks back harm you?

In March, the European Parliament voted in favour of a proposal to abolish the practice from 2021
but what are the arguments about the benefits or draw backs of moving clocks according to season.

Does it reduce energy usage?

Effect of daylight saving time on lighting energy use: A literature review from 2008 in terms of the USA found that the situation was complicated. Most savings were in residential use. However, even if overall energy use is unchanged by DST, hourly energy use is changed, affecting electricity demand . A 2016 international meta analysis using 162 estimates from 44 studies and found that the mean reported estimate indicates modest energy savings: 0.34% during the days when DST applies. Energy savings are larger for countries farther away from the equator


What is the impact on the economy?

Interesting paper from JSTOR on loss of sleep on stock market dealers!

Health

Are road traffic accidents reduced? - a review from 2012 in Ireland found mixed evidence . this was echoed in a systematic review of evidence in 2017


Does it lead to an increase in heart attacks? This paper reviews the evidence and finds the total amount is unchanged but the timing differs

How about health overall?

Does Daylight Saving Time Really Make Us Sick?”Jin, Lawrence; Ziebarth, Nicolas R. IZA Discussion Paper No. 9088. 2015.
comprehensively studies the health effects of Daylight Saving Time using data from the US and hospital admissions from Germany over one decade they find that when the clocks are put back by one hour effectively extending sleep duration for the sleep deprived by one hour, population health slightly improves for about four days.

This study focusing on depression however found more incidence in the Fall with shorter daylight hours. there was an 11% increase over a period of the first 10 weeks


Finally did Benjamin Franklin invent the practice? find out some fun history in this article from the Smithsonian