Throughout the school year, my roommate from San Diego has asked me a wide range of questions; from “what’s there to do in Pennsylvania” to “are fireflies real”. The other day he asked me why he went from enthusiastic to tired the majority of the time, and also asked why he felt somewhat down in the dumps. I responded by telling him about the “winter blues” and how colder weather sometimes results in depression, and more of an inclination to sleep. Without question, he took my word for it. So does the cold elicit different moods?
Null hypothesis: Winter does not affect one’s mood
Alternative hypothesis: Winter does affect one’s mood
The first information that I came across when researching was that negative changes in behavior/mood were linked to SAD (seasonal affective disorder).
So what exactly are the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder?
- Greater fatigue throughout the day
- Difficulty waking up in the morning
- More of an inclination to sleep
- Craving for carbohydrate-rich foods
- Depression
- Weight gain
- Loss of interest in activities
- Cognitive Effects
A health poll on weather.com asked people if they tended to feel depressed during dark winter days and slightly over 76% answered “yes”. Since the poll was not randomized,it was not representative of the population, and the results could only extend to those who participated in the study. Also, since the poll was done online anybody could have answered the question, even if they never experienced dark winter days which could result in response bias. With this type of study there could be many confounding variables that affected the conclusion, so the validity of it is questionable.
An experiment was done on sixty-two students at the University of Miami, where they had to explain how they’d feel after being told the weather conditions in each scenario. The study concluded that certain weather conditions tend to enhance emotions rather than create them. For example, cloudy, gray-sky days would increase chances of depression while sunny, warm days would enhance one’s confident and optimistic emotional state to ecstatic. Although, I myself am not a scientist, I believe that a meta-analysis should be performed on this study to make sure it was designed well.
For a more in-depth analysis of the experiment, click here
One study exclaimed that a causal factor of changes in one’s mood could be due to circadian rhythm, which is “physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment. They are found in most living things, including animals, plants and many tiny microbes.” Researchers believe that daylight assists in the release of melatonin, which allows the body to know when to sleep (which is apart of circadian rhythm). Scientists have found that high melatonin levels cause feelings of depression, daytime sleepiness, irritability, headaches, and stomach cramps. Melatonin levels are found to increase as light disappears. Therefor, since the days are shorter in the winter and less sunlight is present, melatonin levels are relatively higher, which causes the above side effects. This could be a mechanism for SAD.
Also, serotonin also known as the, “happiness hormone”, goes hand in hand with melatonin (the sleep hormone). The following link briefly explains that if there is a lack of serotonin in the body, the person feels depressed and their mood/spirit declines. Then goes on to say that when it darkens outside, melatonin is produced from serotonin when it darkens outside.
If you are afraid that you’re being affected by SAD, then try light treatment. Exposure to light substantially brighter than indoor light can help mitigate symptoms, since it acts as artificial sunlight which would keep melatonin levels from intensifying thus lessening the chances of suffering from depression.
For more information on how to treat SAD, follow this link
Conclusion: Winter seems likely to affect one’s mood. The reason for this conclusion is that there was difficulty finding studies/research that concluded that the winter did not affect one’s mood. Either all the scientists who researched this found that the alternative hypothesis was true or it could be that this study suffers substantially from the file drawer problem.
http://time.com/278/can-winter-really-make-you-sick-the-truth-about-seasonal-affective-disorder/
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/fall-winter-bring-forth-three/18376650
http://www.healthyresources.com/sleep/magazines/sleepwell/sad.html
http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/seasonal-affective-disorder?page=3
As a freshman student from sunny Miami Beach Florida, I can definitely feel how winter is starting to effect me. Waking up every morning in the bare cold is gruesome and nonetheless pointing me towards hibernation this winter. As winter approaches, less and less of us have the opportunity to be out in the sun. Your article suggests that sunlight has a positive affect on one’s proactive mood. Interestingly, when one takes in sunlight one also consumes the essential vitamin D https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/how-do-i-get-the-vitamin-d-my-body-needs/. As a Miami boy and lover of the sun, I surely will attest the winter hibernation by taking the vitamin D supplements on a regular basis!
Being from Los Angeles I can easily relate to your roommate’s feelings towards the winter blues. I, myself, feel more tired and not as enthusiastic about the day when it is cold and cloudy. Surprisingly, I found on the Huffington Post that “if you’re in a good mood, chances are, bad weather won’t bring you down too much. But if you’re feeling crummy already, a cold, dreary day could easily make your mood go from bad to worse.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/14/climate-health_n_4568505.html. I would think that cloudy weather would 100% effect one’s mood but that might not necessarily be the case. I would have to more in depth look into this topic to find out how much or how little weather effects mood.
I really enjoyed how you incorporated a lot of the vocabulary from our previous test into your blog. It was a great review and also allowed me to connect the vocal to outside examples as well as something familiar. Coming from Connecticut, I am very familiar with the winter blues. Seasonal affective disorder is definitely a real form of depression. Personally, I feel my self confidence and motivation decrease during the winter months. Being at college, I am worried it might be worse this upcoming winter, so I looked up some possible cures/ways to relieve seasonal affective disorder! http://www.everydayhealth.com/depression-photos/9-ways-to-treat-seasonal-depression.aspx