Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody
Relationship between Weather and mood
Many studies show that weather has an impact on how we feel.
Sunny days
Low temperatures and less sunlight can cause seasonal affective disorder (SAD), while high temperatures can improve your mood and help fight depression. When the temperatures rise, the molecular rate in the body also increases, causing you to move more, digest well, and think more positively.
Summer is a great time for picnics, beach walks, woods, or sailing on the quiet lakeside.
Relationship between weather and mood
However, the heat of summer easily makes people feel drowsy and uncomfortable.
Studies also show that in addition to negative emotions, elevated temperatures make people more aggressive and violent, with peak crime rates often recorded in the summer. Are weather and mood related?
These negative behaviors are believed to stem from the exhaustion and dehydration of the body, often placing people in a state of being more easily grumpy.
In a study, the researchers analyzed the sources of data provided by a chain of Russian retail chains. This will allow them to consider how the environment affects workers.
The results show that people who work in hot temperatures reduce customer support (actively listening and giving suggestions) by up to 50%.
A study by the University of Michigan also found that people who stay outdoors for at least half an hour in pleasant weather will feel more comfortable. However, the more energy associated with the uncomfortable hot and humid weather makes us more aggressive.
Are Weather and Mood Related?
Mild weather and mood
Yes, research shows a link between a mild climate and well-being. Places where winters are warmer than average and summers are cooler than average seem to cheer people up. Better weather means more chances of being outdoors.
Cloudy days
The lack of sunshine on cloudy days means we are short of vitamin D. Vitamin D is very important for the human body. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer risk.
Weather and mood: How weather affects our moods
The limited sunlight prevents the brain from waking the body and continuing to produce more melatonin, the hormone linked to depression, sleepiness, and fatigue. Overcast days are also associated with less serotonin, which makes us feel lethargic.
Overcast weather lasting for weeks can affect our mental health by disrupting the chemical balance in the brain. Indeed, Cloudy weather and mood have a strong relationship.
Yangyang Chen, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Accounting and Finance, Polytechnic University of Hong Kong, also agrees that sunlight can have a significant impact on mental health.
His recent studies have found that weather-dependent moods make economic sense in some areas of finance and accounting. Stock market investors tend to be more pessimistic on cloudy days, resulting in lower stock returns, while financial officers are more likely to approve credit contracts during those days.
Rainy days
For some people, rain has the effect of alleviating fear and anxiety. Kimberly Hershenson, a therapist specializing in anxiety and depression explains that because the brain always likes to absorb information through the senses. Rain is a type of white noise – a kind of sound that helps people relax. It alleviates the need to get information from our senses, so we can become calmer.
Weather and mood: What is the relationship?
However, some studies show that the more heavy and persistent the rain is, especially in areas where there is usually no high rainfall, the more aggressive people become.
Another study found that the level of life satisfaction of interviewed women decreased on days with heavy rainfall and high temperature. At the same time, their satisfaction level increased on a lower temperature and no rain.
Conclusion
It can be seen that weather and mood have a close relationship. We can’t change how the weather looks like, but we can change how we react to it. Spending time on social activities and doing what you enjoy has been shown to boost your mood. This is recommended for people who are fighting depression.
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