Mood and the Weather
It’s a gloomy day outside and the rain is pouring down. Does your mood seem to match the weather on days like this? Some may blame it on the weather and call it the rainy day blues. Researchers in Europe examined whether a connection between mood and the weather truly exists. Their study, published in the journal Emotion, proposed that just as there are subtypes among those diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – depression triggered by the winter or summer season – there are likely subtypes of people whose mood is affected by the weather.
There were 497 adolescents and their mothers who participated in this study. Six weeks of measurements were conducted during various weeks in 2006 and 2007. During the weeks of measurement participants filled out questions regarding their mood for five consecutive days. The participants were asked to rate their intensity of happiness, anxiety and anger as an indicator of their mood. Data from 415 adolescents and 418 of their mothers was included in the final sample and excluded those who completed less than 12 days of measurement.
Weather data collected during the weeks of measurement included the percentage of sunshine, average temperature and hours of precipitation during the day. These measurements incorporated incidental and seasonal weather factors. The percentage of sunshine and hours of precipitation were considered incidental weather factors. Average temperature was considered a seasonal weather factor. The participants were unaware that their reported mood would be related to the weather.
Four classes of weather reactive individuals emerged in the results of the study. The first class consisted of individuals who were not affected by the weather. This class made up half of the sample. The other half of the sample was affected by the weather and separated into the remaining three classes: Summer Lovers, Summer Haters and Rain Haters. The Summer Lovers were in better moods on sunnier days with warmer temperatures and in worse moods on days with precipitation. Summer Haters were in worse moods with warmer temperatures and more sunshine and in better moods on days with more precipitation. Lastly, more hours of precipitation was associated with worse moods for Rain Haters.
The results of this study contribute to the common belief that weather does affect the mood of some people. Identifying groups of weather reactive individuals, as this study did, may be helpful at determining those at risk for SAD. People whose mood is affected by the weather may be more likely to develop SAD than those who are unaffected by the weather.
Sources:
Seasonal affective disorder – PubMed Health
Klimstra, Theo A., Tom Frijns, Loes Keijsers, Jaap J. A. Denissen, Quinten A. W. Raaijmakers, Marcel A. G. van Aken, Hans M. Koot, Pol A. C. van Lier, and Wim H. J. Meeus. (2011). Come rain or come shine: Individual differences in how weather affects mood. Emotion, 11(6), 1495-1499. doi:10.1037/a0024649