Do you ever feel happier when it’s nice and sunny outside? Maybe you also feel more fatigued and less enthusiastic when the weather is gloomy. However, to what extent does weather have an affect on our mood? It turns out, the results can be pretty drastic, perhaps more than we realize.
Aspects of Weather that Affect Mood
There are many aspects of weather that can affect our mood. This includes the general season, temperature, the amount of light, and precipitation. These aspects can psychologically or even physically affect our emotions.
For instance, lack of sunlight may lead to a vitamin D deficiency, which in turn can increase one’s chances of depression. That would be a physical way that the weather can affect mood. A psychological way the weather may change mood might be feeling sad when it’s raining because rain often signifies spending less time outside, which you may yearn for.
It’s also possible for weather to psychologically impact our mood, say, if we experienced a significant traumatic event during a certain type of weather. Now, every time you may witness that type of weather again, it feels like you’re reliving that traumatic event again, mentally and physically.
How the Weather Impacts Us on a Biopsychosocial Level
To truly understand how weather affects our mood, we must also understand what exactly it does to us on a biopsychosocial level.
Biologically, the amount of light we receive in a day alone can impact our circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is responsible for our sleep, mood, and appetite. Less sunlight during the colder months impact this internal clock of ours and lowers our levels of serotonin & melatonin. As a result, we may experience fatigue and low mood.
On a psychological level, weather can impact our mood simply based on how we feel about certain types of weather, our associations with it, or our general experiences with it. One person might consider gray clouds to be like a “comfy blanket” in the sky and, thus, find peace in this type of weather. Others might consider it to be a “rain on their parade.”
There are also social factors that play a role in weather. For example, a gloomy day might make you depressed because you consider it to mean fewer opportunities for going out with friends. However, a warm, sunny day may motivate you to go out and do fun things.
Getting Help for Mood Affected by the Weather
While it might seem like something that you just have to “deal with,” in truth, having your mood drastically affected by the weather is not uncommon in the world of psychology, and quite frankly, even a moderate change in mood can have a huge negative impact on one’s daily lives and level of productivity. The good news is, there is help out there for those struggling with such.
For instance, those feeling depressed in the winter may be referred to a cognitive behavioral therapist (CBT), be a great candidate for a certain medication, or find light therapy to be helpful for their condition.
Conclusion
We all know that the weather can affect our mood. Although, did you know just how strong its effects can be? The latter information makes that quite apparent. The good news is, there are professional forms of help out there for those suffering drastically from mood changes due to the weather or season.
We are not doctors and this is in no way intended to be used as medical advice and we cannot be held responsible for your results. As with any product, service or supplement, use at your own risk. Always do your own research before using.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.