How much does the weather affect our mood?
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.
Physiologically, though, we do reckon with weather conditions—sunlight, in particular—in direct and measurable ways. Research on SAD has been focused on the brain’s response to darkness and light, as the condition has been linked to the shortened daylight hours of winter. When our eyes detect darkness, a small gland in the brain called the pineal releases melatonin, which establishes sleep cycles. When we detect light, melatonin production subsides and its cheerier hormonal sibling, serotonin, takes over to promote wakefulness and help elevate mood.
So, at the bottom line, the weather can affect you negatively and positively.
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Tags: affect, disorder, Health, How much, Human Body, mood, psychology, weather
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