Picture this: It’s midnight on a Wednesday evening (or Thursday morning, depending on how you look at it). Your ECON9 final is tomorrow (today?), and you just had to re-teach yourself everything there is to know about supply and demand, elasticity, and gross domestic product. Gross indeed. Six hours, three yerba mates, and two breakdowns later, you can finally leave Davidson Library feeling fresh, renewed, and ready to take on that final.
But when you finally get back to your dorm/apartment/house and look in the mirror… yikes. Your hair has developed a frizz. Your under eyes have become four shades darker. And in the time you entered and exited the library, your face started breaking out like crazy.
Let’s be honest. Have you ever felt renewed post-lib sesh? As necessary and helpful as library study sessions are, very rarely have I walked out of Davidson Library looking and feeling better than when I walked in. I can have the freshest face of makeup on, the most exquisite outfit on, and still fall victim to the library glowdown. It’s as if there’s something in the atmosphere polluting the second floor, a poisonous chemical seeping through the vents and ugly-ifying those studying.
The post-lib glowdown reminded me of a TikTok microtrend called Boyfriend Air. Boyfriend Air describes the phenomenon where spending time with your boyfriend results in a decline in appearance. TikTok users like @nevaeh.ma.rie and @notsophiesilva have posted comical videos depicting their looks before and after hanging out with their boyfriends, a form of humorous evidence that the phenomenon exists.
As someone who doesn’t have a boyfriend, I found myself strangely relating to a lot of the Boyfriend Air side effects. Except instead of them being from spending time with a significant other, mine were from spending way too much time in the library. Because who needs a boyfriend when you have the library? Some may call it coping, I call it critical thinking. Therefore, I propose we expand this phenomenon to fit other experiences. Hence: Library Air.
Don’t worry – as a seasoned professional, I’ve developed some tips and tricks to prevent the post-lib glowdown at all costs. And as winter quarter finals week looms in the distance, here are some ways to deal with Library Air.
Protect your eyes!
Staring at your laptop for hours on end can become draining, and trying to cram information into your brain is a daunting, mind-numbing task. And the poor lighting from those late night study seshes don’t help either. Words become jumbled, delirium begins to set in, and your eyes begin to wear out.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, spending hours in front of a laptop screen and in dim light can tire the eyes, which eventually harms the beholder. I have personally experienced this – every time I leave the library, my eyes are either twitching, bloodshot, irritated, or all of the above, just from mindlessly staring at the screen.
So how can you prevent this? Harvard Health Publishing recommends to rest your eyes every hour to prevent fatigue, and make sure to blink regularly to keep the eyes lubricated. Dr. Raj Maturi, spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, recommends the 20-20-20 rule: take 20-seconds every 20 minutes to look at something 20 feet away.
Take a walk
Sometimes, the best way to save your sanity is to take a quick walk. A study conducted by It can be as short as 15 minutes, but just standing up and taking a stroll can do wonders for your health, physical and mental. In an interview with CBS, Dr. Keith Diaz from Columbia University Irving Medical Center said that a brisk five minute walk every half hour can reduce the harms of prolonged sitting. Cornell Health recommends a change of scenery–getting up to take a short walk can help relieve stress and clear your mind.
Also, there is nothing more refreshing than getting a breath of fresh air! When I’m struggling in the library, one of my favorite things to do is walk to the Arbor, a UCSB eatery and campus staple. It’s a short walk–anywhere between two to eight minutes, depending on where you’re camped out in the lib. But I find that exiting the building and its stressful atmosphere does wonders for my focus and stress, helping to combat the effects of Library Air.
Study snacks
When studying, it’s tempting to reach for caffeinated drinks and sugary snacks. Listen: I know that these are library essentials, especially for college students. The “study aesthetic” isn’t complete without a Celsius, pack of M&M’S, or a bag of Hot Cheetos. And on those brain break Arbor walks (as recommended previously), you might be tempted to treat yourself to fuel the rest of your library experience.
Yet consuming those foods have more cons than benefits. For starters, eating sugary or processed foods can spike your blood sugar. And a sugar high is always accompanied by a sugar crash, which can leave you feeling more fatigued and sleepy than before. Tasty in the moment, but harmful later.
So while you’re at the Arbor, try to aim for healthier bevs and snacks that won’t leave you feeling yucky. When you feel better on the inside, you will always look better on the outside. Swap out a Sprite for a kombucha, hot chips for assorted nuts, Snickers for dark chocolate. Whole foods are always a good option as well. Blueberries are easy to snack on AND help with memory retention, making them a true superfood. These switches are seemingly inconsequential, but they add up to be incredibly beneficial to your overall health.
Go easy on the makeup
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look pretty in the library. Who knows! You may meet the love of your life on the fourth floor! And a little concealer, mascara, maybe some blush can’t hurt… right?
Wrong. While your face might look fresh going into the lib, the atmospheric properties of Davidson Library will find a way to add unwanted creases, smudges, and smears, complete with an oily shine. Wearing makeup for long periods of time can be harmful for your skin, especially if you’re acne prone. Chances are, you’re better off going for a more natural look. Instead of worrying about racoon eyes and pimples, you can redirect your focus to finishing your ALEKS homework or discussion posts.
An added bonus: when you come home from Davidson late at night/early in the morning, you can immediately go to bed without having to worry about removing your makeup.
As students, we all live stressful lives, and the ugly-ifying properties of Library Air definitely don’t help alleviate that. Oftentimes, when we look bad, we feel bad as well. Fighting Library Air is not only essential for helping your appearance, but also just your overall mindset and mentality when it comes to those long study nights.