Does sunshine actually make you happy? A recent study from Brigham Young University has revealed that the amount of time between sunrise and sunset influences virtually everyone’s mood — even more than factors like temperature, pollution, and rain.
Researchers investigated how someone’s mood is connected to weather and related factors. The team found that people reported more mental distress when the days were shorter and there was less sunshine, according to a press release from BYU. Results showed that the length of daylight was more influential in affecting people’s moods than the amount of actual sun rays being absorbed.
I – Word Understanding
Mental distress – symptoms and experiences when a person’s internal life is troubled, confused or in an unusual situation
II – Have Your Say
1. What are the usual changes you feel during winter season? How do you try to offset these negative effects of winter?
2. Your body is designed to get the vitamin D it needs by producing it when your bare skin is exposed to sunlight. Do you know what happens when you are low in vitamin D?
– You feel blue: Serotonin, the brain hormone associated with mood elevation, falls with decreased sun exposure.
– Bone pain and muscle weakness: the higher the body weight, the more vit D is needed.
– Head sweating: the first, classic sign of vit D deficiency
580 Seasonal Affective Disorder: Happiness Is Actually Linked To Sunshine, Study Finds
