It seems as though whenever it’s rainy or cloudy I do not feel as energetic or motivated to do anything. I simply want to stay in bed and watch a movie instead of doing something more exciting. The rain always seems to take a toll on our happiness in a negative way while the sun typically puts us in a better mood. So how exactly does the weather affect our mood? Does the cold weather make us depressed? Does the sun make us happier human beings?
Research has found that weather impacts people’s negative moods more than their positive moods. While higher temperatures bring a “low” person up, conditions such as the wind or lack of sun can make a sad person even more upset. A depressive disorder called seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is when a person’s depression is linked to the change in seasons. While most people experience SAD during the colder months of the year, there are certain people that even experience it when the weather is warm. Women suffer from SAD up to three times more than men. Maintaining a regular schedule, especially when it comes to sleep, plays a key role in helping overcome SAD.
Research has also found that heat and rain cause people to become more aggressive. A study conducted by researcher Marie Connolly found that women felt more satisfied with their life on cooler days with no rain rather than hotter days with rain. Ironically, it was also found that suicide rates are higher in the spring and summertime. You would think that the cold weather and lack of sunlight would cause more people to commit suicide in the winter but it is actually the opposite way around. The impact that weather has also depends on someone’s “weather personality type.” For example, people that love the summer tend to be happier and more carefree on sunny days while people that do not like the summer tend to be more upset and angry on warm days.
In conclusion, while weather may not pose much of an impact on certain people, it definitely has an effect on most individuals, myself included. On sunnier days, I seem to be more of a productive, positive, and overall happier person whereas on colder, rainier days I become less interested in making plans with people and prefer to be alone.
Sources:
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/08/29/can-weather-affect-your-mood/
I definitely agree that seasonal depression is a real thing. One of my family members has it and he started getting it during the winter months here at Penn State. I know that he is definitely more himself during the warm, sunny months. I personally have a hard time being motivated during rainy or snowy days because I feel like I can’t go outside and enjoy my day. I thought this was a good blog post!
I found this really interesting because weather does effect a lot of people’s moods, sometimes without them even realizing it. Personally, I like warmth and sun also. I found it really interesting that rain and heat can make people become aggressive. It would be interesting to know exactly why that is.
I can completely agree with this post. I believe that weather can affect a person’s mood in a tremendous way. I think it is interesting to see which people enjoy rainy days and the cold, compared to the people who are in good moods when the sun is out. I think that the moods people get in all depend on which type of weather they like.
I also cannot be productive on rainy, gloomy, and cloudy days. I feel the grayness in the sky and the rain itself just take any form or motivation away from me. I never want to be out on days like these because I don’t want to be soaked when I step outside or drive on wet and slipper roads. I like how you talked about SAD because I’ve never heard of that before. Some people clearly are opposite of us in the sense where sunny days make them sad, unmotivated, and depressed. I guess it depends on the person, but I do agree with you that weather can effect someones mood.
I really like this post, I have a friend with seasonal depression, and I can assure you that it’s a real thing. I can’t really blame people for feeling down in the colder months, especially here in State College PA. When it’s bitter cold it can be hard to do normal everyday things like go get groceries, or even get out of bed