Post by Mel on Jan 27, 2006 11:47:51 GMT -5
How does the weather affect our mood?
How does the weather affect our mood? Ever been cranky when its too hot, or listless or depressed when its cold or rainy? Learn why?
Ever been cranky when it is too hot? Have you ever been listless or depressed when its cold or rainy? Can the weather affect our mood? This has always been an intriguing subject. It has been studied by scientists and sociologists. One would think so, just to make an educated guess, especially if it has happened to you. Like when the days are extremely hot, and you feel irritated or moody for no apparent reason. And what about when it is cold or rainy and gloomy and you feel sad, meloncoly, even depressed, but you can't quite put your finger on it. Is there any evidence to substantiate these seemingly bizarre occurances? Phenomenon? Or is there a direct connection between the two?
There are studies that link weather with long periods of high temperatures to increase in crime. It is believed that people get irritable and hostile when it is extremely hot. Several law enforcement agencies have statistics that shows te correlation of the two. Think about how you felt if ever you had experienced a heat wave: hot, irritable, frustrated, maybe even angry.
Another way that has been proven and documented that the weather can affect your mood is called SAD. SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD is a syndrome characterized by depression during winter months when there is less daylight. Seasonal Affective Disorder is directly related or even caused by too little sunlight, which causes the body's time clock to go out of sync, thus upsetting the body's routine, and may even affect certain hormonal levels in the body. The symptoms of SAD are depression, sadness, lethargy, fatigue, excessive sleeping, difficulty getting up in the morning, loss of appetite or increased eating of carbohydrates, thus increase in weight, decreased activity and socialization, apathy, irritability. Treatment for SAD includes UV light therapy where the body is exposed to ultraviolet light for periods of time. This should, however, only be done under the care of a physician.
In conclusion, there is some evidence that says that the weather can affect our mood. But not documented, I believe we can judge for ourselves, as well. If you have ever been happy and energetic on a bright sunny day, or sad and depressed or lack of energy on winter days or rainy days, or if you have been irritable on an extremely hot day, you have proven that, the weather does have some physical, however minimal, and/or psychological affect on our mood.
How does the weather affect our mood? Ever been cranky when its too hot, or listless or depressed when its cold or rainy? Learn why?
Ever been cranky when it is too hot? Have you ever been listless or depressed when its cold or rainy? Can the weather affect our mood? This has always been an intriguing subject. It has been studied by scientists and sociologists. One would think so, just to make an educated guess, especially if it has happened to you. Like when the days are extremely hot, and you feel irritated or moody for no apparent reason. And what about when it is cold or rainy and gloomy and you feel sad, meloncoly, even depressed, but you can't quite put your finger on it. Is there any evidence to substantiate these seemingly bizarre occurances? Phenomenon? Or is there a direct connection between the two?
There are studies that link weather with long periods of high temperatures to increase in crime. It is believed that people get irritable and hostile when it is extremely hot. Several law enforcement agencies have statistics that shows te correlation of the two. Think about how you felt if ever you had experienced a heat wave: hot, irritable, frustrated, maybe even angry.
Another way that has been proven and documented that the weather can affect your mood is called SAD. SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD is a syndrome characterized by depression during winter months when there is less daylight. Seasonal Affective Disorder is directly related or even caused by too little sunlight, which causes the body's time clock to go out of sync, thus upsetting the body's routine, and may even affect certain hormonal levels in the body. The symptoms of SAD are depression, sadness, lethargy, fatigue, excessive sleeping, difficulty getting up in the morning, loss of appetite or increased eating of carbohydrates, thus increase in weight, decreased activity and socialization, apathy, irritability. Treatment for SAD includes UV light therapy where the body is exposed to ultraviolet light for periods of time. This should, however, only be done under the care of a physician.
In conclusion, there is some evidence that says that the weather can affect our mood. But not documented, I believe we can judge for ourselves, as well. If you have ever been happy and energetic on a bright sunny day, or sad and depressed or lack of energy on winter days or rainy days, or if you have been irritable on an extremely hot day, you have proven that, the weather does have some physical, however minimal, and/or psychological affect on our mood.