Are you more likely to be in a better mood when it is warm and sunny outside or when it is rainy and cold outside? For me, I would choose choice A and I would assume most of you guys would also. For some reason, whenever it is raining outside or just a gross day, I want to stay in bed all day and watch Netflix. I don’t want to do anything productive. However, when it is a nice, sunny day I have more energy and motive to get my work done. Why does this happen? Is it possible that the weather can affect one’s mood and behavior?

In one experiment, 24 college students had to keep track of their mood for 11 days. They did this by filling out a mood questionnaire survey. The results of this survey showed that one’s mood correlated with the weather. For example, “High levels of humidity lowered the score on concentration while increasing the levels of sleepiness. Rising temperatures lowered anxiety and as the number of hours of sunshine increased, optimism scores also increased.” I am not surprised by these findings. I can personally relate to these results. The more humid it is outside, the less energy or concentration that I have and the less likely I am to go to the gym or study for an exam. I tend to be more active with my friends and go to town when it is a nice day outside. If being in the heat and humidity lower one’s energy level and concentration as the study suggest, I would think simply staying inside in an air conditioned room would be ok. But the studies say no, so that tends to make me believe that one’s mood and energy level is not based on the temperature, but more so on that individual’s perception of their environment.

There is also a disorder related to seasonal change and ones mood. It is called Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD is a type of disorder in which a person experiences a drastic change in their overall mood during the fall and winter seasons of the year. Some examples of what could happen to someone with SAD in the winter are depression, anxiety, and fatigue. There is also reverse seasonal affective disorder and then is when people have a mood change in the summer rather than the winter. Most people joke about how they get more depressed in the winter, not realizing that it is an actual sickness that they have to deal with. It is interesting to see how people react differently to the weather. Some people respond better to the warm weather and negatively to the cold weather while others are the complete opposite. I am more of a summer person. By going to the beach and pools, I can stay cool even in the heat of the summer. I like to play basketball and soccer, so I am always active in the summer as well.

There are a couple of different factors that can cause someone to have SAD. For example, reduced levels of sunlight in the winter and fall can cause winter-onset SAD and the same goes for reverse SAD. Everybody needs a daily dose of sunlight to keep them smiling and well. Also, a drop in serotonin (a brain chemical) can also lead to SAD. This is be caused by being exposed to little sunlight. Lastly, a quick change in seasonal weather can disrupt ones natural body balance of melatonin. In
the end, sunlight is the biggest factor in causing SAD.

Every year, seasons change, the weather changes, and so does ones mood. Before doing research on this topic, I thought that it was just a myth that people can actually become depressed in the winter. However, now I know that it is an actual illness that many people suffer. Approximately, 4 to 6 percent of people have this disorder and another 10 to 20 percent of people have mild a case of it. Seasonal depression is a serious illness that needs to be taken more seriously. Bears are not the only creatures to hibernate in the winter, many humans stay locked in their rooms because they are too depressed due to SAD.

As winter is approaching, be careful and make sure to get plenty of sunlight and sleep!