How northern Europeans beat the winter blues
Ask a child from northern Europe to draw two pictures-one on a rainy day and a second inthesunshine-and this is what you will get: in the first, as raindrops fall from the top of the page, the man behind the window has an unhappy expression. When a yellow sun sends out some light from the corner, theman is smiling.
Northern Europeans associate rain with sadness and sunshine with happiness. They think this is truebecause they are so aware of how their environment affectsthem. 1[■] In October 2008, a groupof researchers examined the influence of different daily weather factors, including temperature, wind and sunlight, on 1,200 participants. The conclusion was that good or bad weather had little effect on people’s feelings.2[■] A personwho is upset on dark or cold dayssuffers from a negative mood(情绪), and he will be likely to experience a sad winter. Thisis the basis of an illness called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). 3[■]
AniKalayjian, professor of psychology at Fordham University, advisesthat weshould take steps to strengthen the brain’s system againstweather-driven mood changes. Research on SAD has been focused on the brain’s response to darkness and light. When our eyes detectdarkness, the brain gives off melatonin, which starts sleep cycles. 4[■] It takes over to help us wake up and feel better when we detect light. “We can encourage people to take charge of their feelings,” says Kalayjian. “Wetell them to leave the computers and theindoor games and get out there in the sun. 5[■]”
A day of rain can potentially destroy your plan and affect your mood. But as theScottish comedian Billy Connolly once said: “There is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrongclothing.”