Moody Weather
By Harrison Fortier on March 17, 2012, 1:24pm
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Have you ever felt like the weather controlled your mood? Well I have. On a recent cold dark and gloomy day I noticed that my family seemed to have had the life sucked out of them. I asked what they felt like doing for the day and the answer’s ranged from nothing to just sleep. Was the weather the cause? It was 40 degrees outside, dark, overcast and raining. I thought, would this be happening if it were 70 degrees and sunny? So I decided to do a little research.
What I found was the temperature, sunlight, precipitation, wind, barometric pressure and photo-period have been studied. Numerous studies have been done that have determined that the weather does have an effect on mood. One study conducted in Europe in 2008 reported that the affect was minimal.
I am not a doctor, but I have worked in the field of public safety for over 30 years. My experience is that weather does seem to affect people’s moods. There seems to be a correlation to more of an increase in calls for assistance with depression on the dark and gloomy days than there were on the warm and sunny days.
The actual physical effect that occurs in our body happens when our eyes detect darkness. This causes the pineal gland in our brain to secrete melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that causes us to feel tired and sleepy. When our eyes detect light Melatonin stops and Serotonin, another hormone, is released to elevate our mood.
Some people suffer from a form of depression caused by this phenomenon called Seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This disorder can get better on its own but will improve more rapidly with proper treatment.
I have come to my own opinion about the weather and its affects on our mood. I know that I am happier and have more energy on warm and sunny days. How about you?
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