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Is Blue Monday Real? The ‘Science’ Behind the Most Depressing Day of the Year
The calculation used to identify this date is pseudoscience
Many people living in the Northern Hemisphere would probably agree that January can be bleak. The Christmas holidays are over, and it’s time to return to work. Some may struggle to cover credit card bills accumulated during the holidays. Additionally, according to statistics, many people fail their New Year’s resolutions within the first weeks of January. Finally, even though the daylight gradually gets longer, most days are still short and dark. The weather remains cold.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that when the third Monday of January was dubbed “Blue Monday,” or the most depressing day of the year, the concept quickly gained popularity and became embedded into everyday vocabulary. Every year, the hashtag “Blue Monday” trends on Twitter. Come January, countless blogs and websites start posting tips to help people get through the dreaded date.
However, despite its popularity on traditional and social media, academics have questioned the science behind the Blue Monday phenomenon, arguing that the calculation used to identify this date is pseudoscience. Psychologists have also pointed out that the notion may trivialize depression and other mental health…
