Do you feel euphoric on clear skies and in a bad mood when there is no sunlight? Let's explore the origin of this phenomenon.
Last update: 03 September, 2020
Do you suffer intensely from the change of season? Does the cloudy sky make you feel depressed? Don't worry, you are not alone and there is nothing strange about it. Feeling sad on gray days is a common phenomenon and has an explanation physiological and psychological.
Of course not everyone experiences this sensation, indeed there are those who love rain, colder temperatures and the lifestyle typical of the cold months. For others, however, autumn and winter are a severe emotional blow, sometimes difficult to overcome. What psychophysical explanations can we give to this phenomenon?
Feeling sad on gray days has an explanation
Neurobiology
From a biological point of view, it should be remembered that the activity of our body is marked by circadian rhythms. These, among other things, regulate our sleep-wake cycles. We could therefore say that the organism synchronizes itself every day according to the different amount of sunlight that receives.
Greater illumination indicates the beginning of a new day, while a reduction in it prepares us to end the day and rest. Furthermore, two other factors come into play in this process:
- Melatonin is present in our body in different concentrations depending on the sunlight. When it gets dark, the body releases greater amounts of this hormone, which relaxes us and makes us sleepy. The body temperature drops and we prepare to sleep.
Likewise, gray days with little or no sunlight trigger the same mechanism. We feel apathetic and listless because our body begins to "turn off".
- Serotonin is the neurotransmitter of happiness. His presence activates us, improves our mood, predisposes us to social relationships and reduces any negative thoughts. Lack of sunlight causes a sharp drop in serotonin levels, leaving room for fatigue, sadness and melancholy.
Psychology
Feeling sad on gray days, however, is mostly the result of cognitive and behavioral changes. In other words, it is our thoughts and actions that fuel sadness and apathy.
Meteoropathic people tend to withdraw into themselves on cloudy, cold or rainy days. They become less active, more lonely, and focused on dysfunctional circular thoughts. They effectively reduce their activities, limit social contacts, and their inner dialogue becomes more pessimistic and dysfunctional.
Seasonal depression
For some, this phenomenon goes far beyond just a "bad day". People with seasonal depression experience typical symptoms of depressive disorder to some extent during the autumn and winter months, to see them disappear in spring and summer.
In the duller months, when cloudy skies are more frequent, they suffer from sadness, sluggishness, sleep disturbances and loss of appetite. They fall into pessimism and take a hopeless outlook on the future. They may also feel irritable and harbor feelings of guilt.
This condition can be treated with phototherapy, that is, exposing yourself to artificial light every morning. The aim is to mitigate the effects of the absence of natural light, but this technique doesn't always work.
Feeling sad on sad days, what to do?
As we cannot change the weather conditions, we will have to work on cognitive and behavioral factors. In order not to feel sad on gray days, it is necessary to make a conscious effort not to fight pessimism and apathy.
So try to overcome the inertia and get active. Do an activity that you find enjoyable, inside or outside the home. Organize a family or friend reunion, dedicate more time to that hobby you have neglected. At the same time, pay attention to your thoughts and intervene when you recognize a negative dynamic. And most importantly, if you can't get out of it on your own, seek help.
