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| Warm Weather = Happy Amie |
Last weekend I returned from the tropics to find myself outside
the San Francisco airport basically barefoot in sub-40 degree weather. As I
stood there shivering in disbelief, the shock to my system made me wonder about
the effect of the weather on my mood and
well-being. Like Kate, I often find
myself a little more blue as winter
progresses and the sun sets early in the day. But in what other ways might the
weather be affecting how we feel from one day to the next? Some of what I found
surprised me. Below I detail three unexpected (at least to me!) ways in which
the weather may be influencing your mood…
Summer can sour your
mood. Just because there is a lot of sunshine in the summer doesn’t mean it
is the time when people are the happiest. In one study, rates of depression and
sadness among the general population of the Netherlands were highest in the summer
and fall. In a separate line of research, although participants’ moods tended
to become more positive as the weather became more pleasant in the springtime, in
the summer, hotter weather was associated with being in a more negative mood.
Heat is also associated with increased aggression. So when you find yourself
feeling sad, grouchy, or wanting to punch someone in the middle of summer, try
taking a weekend trip to somewhere cool.
