Disadvantages of having the first move

Hello chess.com members I was wondering: A lot of books are talking about 

the advantage of white because he has the first move. But isn't it so that white 

by playing first gives up information? 

This is the fact that black ultimately decides which kind of opening the game 

entails further. Are there other disadvantages?

Light shines off your pieces more which can strain your eyes and cause headaches, disrupting concentration.

You're right scottrf, but what about the black pieces that attract mosquitoes?

I think it probably isn't a major disadvantage. You give up information, yes, but I don't think really gets to dictate the course of the game much. I think both players always have a say in what kind of game gets play, no one more than the other. 

Later in the game just by moving the knowledge revealed by that move can be worth that tempo. I guess it depends on the position.

I'm sceptical about not dictating by black, at least in the opening?

If white starts with e4 black decides which opening you will go into. He has so many replies. e5, c5, e6, c6, g6, d5, d6 b6,nf6, nc6 etc. Black has the advantage that white plays into his system of choice.

Depends how dynamic a position is. If an advantage is snubbed in a few moves it's only worth something if white does something with it. But yes the ratio is 55/45 in favour of white. The information given by white is not enough because white can be faster (example opposite side castling where both sides race for the opponents king in the race to checkmate.

But this only applies if the imbalances are pretty equal. That's why asymmetric positions are more dynamic and give so called chances for both sides.

Black has a lot of ways to play against e4, but the best options are c5 and e5. These are the moves that directly play against white's plan which is to set up an e4-d4 pawn center. Of course all other moves you mentioned are playable and good, but white has already found the way to gain the advantage against them. Black's options are limited since he moves second.

Yes limited but white is limited after the first move too because ultimately black decides which game it is transposed into. Even if white has an advantage, the player who plays 1...c5 or 1..e5 exclusively would have an knowledge advantage over the white player who has to know all the correct replies to what defenses black can throw at him. 

A lot of times, using Anti-Sicilians, white can get an advantage against the Sicilian. I play the French, and I don't think white can get an advantage against it.

Also white can choose the opening a lot of the time. For example, there is 1. c4, 1. f4, 1. Nf3 (after this black can't really choose an opening), and 1. b3.

It means that White do not know any opening's move?

White does give up information but Black isn't alone in deciding the opening.

If White opens with 1. e4, then White should be happy to play against whatever move comes next, or at least be willing to suffer openings they are unfamiliar with in order to learn them.

Some players feel undue pressure to try to force a winning position with the white pieces. Of course this results in them losing because you can't force a winning position in chess. I used to be like this when I was a kid.

It's not a disadvantage of white as such, just a psychological obstacle that needs to be overcome.