Author Yana Filimonova
02.11.2013 16:00 (Updated: 24.05.2021 22:29)
Science » Ecology » Man
“Stormy scandal”, “cloudy at heart” - our language hints at the connection between the weather and the state of mind. But these are just metaphors, but is there a real dependence of our mood on the weather? Oddly enough, scientists have found a number of evidence that this is so. For example, in sunny weather we are more likely to help others and leave more generous tips in cafes.
Mood depends on the presence of sunlight
Perhaps the most powerful factor influencing human mood is sunlight. Since some hormones responsible for good spirits and increased strength are produced more intensely in the light, the bright sun improves mood and reduces fatigue. It is not surprising that such an emotional upsurge also affects a person’s actions.
A study by the American Psychological Association (APA) showed that on sunny days we are more friendly towards people around us and are more likely to help. For example, in Minnesota, cafe patrons showed a clear tendency to tip more generously on sunny days. Even income from stocks increases in sunny weather, according to experts from Ohio State University (USA).
Weather and mood: is there a connection?
It's cloudy outside - and everything is falling out of hand, but as soon as the sun comes out, your heart feels lighter... Many people believe that good weather accompanies elation, and rain plunges us into depression. But does such a pattern really exist?
We believe that we feel uplifted because the sun is shining in the morning, and, on the contrary, we become despondent if it rains incessantly. We are sure that the weather directly affects our mood. Attempts to experimentally verify this popular opinion have been made repeatedly.
The researchers asked volunteers to record their emotional state several times a day for several months, and then compared the data obtained with weather reports for the same days. And... they didn’t find any dependence! David Watson, professor of psychology at the University of Iowa (USA), analyzed the results of twenty major studies on the dependence of mood on weather, conducted since the early 1980s. It turned out that the more people participated in the experiments, the less the correlation turned out to be. In other words, psychologists' research refutes our intuitive conclusions: the weather and our mood are in no way connected. What makes us believe otherwise?
What is meteosensitivity?
Why do some of us react to changing weather: headaches, causeless anxiety, exacerbation of chronic diseases? Physicist Tatyana Breus explains the phenomenon of meteosensitivity as follows: “Our body is a complex coordinated system of various rhythms - cardiac, vascular, respiratory. A sharp change in air temperature, atmospheric pressure or wind strength, or increased solar activity can throw the body out of a state of stable equilibrium. And we feel emotional and physical discomfort.”
Such an acute reaction to the weather is characteristic of only 3% of the adult population. After all, weather sensitivity is a natural physiological phenomenon, thanks to which the body can adequately respond to changes in the external environment, which allows us to live in harmony with the world. For some, the adaptation process occurs almost imperceptibly, while for others it takes longer. And a painful reaction to the weather is an individual characteristic of those who inherited a special sensitivity of the central nervous system to the activity of the sun, or those whose body is severely weakened.
From the depths of time.
The belief in a linear relationship between the weather and our state of mind comes to us from the distant past. The archaic view of the universe likened the inner world of man to the world of nature, and in this scheme, weather phenomena were given the same place that emotions occupy in human life. When describing the sphere of feelings, today we use the same words as when describing the weather: for example, the verbs “frown” and “clear up” are equally applicable to the sky and to a person’s face. Since ancient times, people's lives have been regulated by the weather. “The sun played a special role,” says anthropologist Alexander Zubov. “It determined the rhythm of life, warmed us, made it possible to engage in gathering and hunting... It was a source of life’s blessings, and therefore all the great civilizations of antiquity - from the Aryans to the Aztecs - bowed before it.”
Weather and mood have nothing to do with each other. If we are happy and the sun is shining outside the window, we will try to attribute our wonderful mood to it.
Today, our feelings are still influenced by traditional views and cultural stereotypes - stable and extremely simplified ideas about what is happening. If we are happy and the sun is shining outside the window, we will most likely try to attribute our good mood to it. But if it’s raining outside, we simply won’t pay attention to the weather.
“When a situation doesn’t match our expectations, we ignore it. This is how the mechanism for the formation of stereotypes—prejudices, superstitions, social attitudes—functions, explains psychologist Margarita Zhamkochyan. – And vice versa, when we encounter coincidences, we remember them and tell others about them. But in fact, we may be in high spirits, for example, because when the weather is good we leave the house more often to meet with family and friends. This kind of social interaction always has a positive effect on us.”
Adapt to contrasts
About 60 thousand years ago, several groups of ancient people migrated from East Africa, eventually they and their descendants populated the entire globe. “Our ancestors were forced to adapt to new living conditions,” explains anthropologist Olga Artemova. “Their bodies learned to pick up any weather signals that could affect their lives. For example, low atmospheric pressure preceded a hurricane. In the genetic memory of subsequent generations, a sharp drop in pressure, causing a vague feeling of anxiety, was imprinted as a “premonition of a thunderstorm.” This is exactly how our sensitivity to weather changes developed.
Our mood usually does not depend on specific circumstances. When it is elevated for us, we do not rejoice at something separately, but simply feel joy.
Mood is an emotional state that colors our lives, and it does not depend on specific circumstances. When we are in high spirits, we are not happy about something in particular, but simply feel joy. Our mood can change several times even within one day, but its changes or constant emotional background are seasonal and, above all, determined by individual biological rhythm.
Auxiliary means.
Most often, incomprehensible mood swings occur on autumn and winter days. But apathy and a feeling of depression are not related to the weather, but are caused by... lack of light. The functioning of our body, including the nervous system, is determined by the stability of the day-night cycle. The better the lighting, the more serotonin is produced, a hormone that regulates our mood.
When there is not enough of it, libido and the ability to work these hours decrease.”
A natural biological alarm clock goes off if the receptors receive the required amount of light. On autumn and winter days this becomes almost impossible.
The sun affects memory and concentration
Researcher Joseph Forgas from Sydney, Australia, showed that the sun affects memory and concentration. To test this hypothesis, researchers placed various objects near the cash register in a store:
- pink piggy bank,
- toy tractor
- and the like.
At the exit, they asked customers what items they remembered. In sunny weather, people remembered seven times fewer objects than in cloudy weather! So it seems that sunlight makes us generous and friendly, but absent-minded. It is better to do accurate calculations and planning in bad weather.
Weather statuses
When the weather is good, you want to go outside and walk all day, enjoy the sun. But what to do when there is bad weather outside, a little rain? In fact, nature does not have bad weather. And the sun will return sooner or later, but for now you can wrap yourself up at home in your favorite blanket and enjoy the sleepy atmosphere and watching your favorite movies.
You can also spend this time studying the section where statuses about the weather are prepared. Here you will find a sufficient number of funny sayings that will cheer you up.
Turn off the snow, turn on the sun, warm up the sky, fill the sea and plant palm trees.
The weather is burning... A day in a T-shirt, a day in a sweatshirt.
It's kind of cold, it's your global warming!
The word “in places” helps weather forecasters accurately predict the weather.
Let the one who makes it predict the weather.
The weather forecaster makes mistakes only once, but every day.
The weather, as always, is not the subject of what is on the calendar.
Weather is feminine. He does what he wants!
It feels like April and December work every other day.
People get angry in the heat
Moreover, experiments show that people literally become ferocious in the heat. Craig Anderson from Iowa found that in hotter
- days,
- months
- and years
more are registered
- murders
- and riots.
Even motorists honk at each other more often when the air is heated above normal. Baseball pitchers are more likely to miss throws on hot days, and experts say wet hands aren't the only reason.
Another study on heat found that levels of verbal aggression increased on sweltering days. This study was conducted on American journalists. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, reporters writing about the Games and China in general used noticeably more negative words.
Who can be considered weather dependent and how does this manifest itself?
In Russia, weather-dependent people often mean people who react to changes in atmospheric pressure. Here it is worth noting a possible change in blood pressure (more often seen in older people). This may be due to changes in the width of the lumen of blood vessels. Some also experience joint pain. The reasons may be a change in the viscosity of the intra-articular fluid or increased sensitivity of pain receptors. As a rule, this applies to those who already have joint problems (arthritis, injuries, etc.).
Photo: unsplash.com/@hugo_cmt
In addition, sudden changes in weather can result in headaches. According to the doctor, this can be explained by changes in pressure in the paranasal sinuses. However, more scientific research is needed to confirm these theories.
How to find out the degree of flat feet and what does it mean?
Why summer doesn't come to Russia in 2021
This summer will be a mixed bag. Forecasters report that we should not expect terrible heat, but showers and thunderstorms will not bypass our country. There will be generous precipitation throughout the summer. According to the forecast of the Hydrometeorological Center, June is expected to be comfortable, while the suffocating heat will bypass Russia: summer starts with mild and warm weather.
In Moscow, June will begin with rain and thunderstorms, and hurricane winds are possible in places, which is unusual for the capital. In general, cloudy cyclones are expected in the region; average temperatures for June will be at least +24.
Folk signs for the weather in June
- Heavy rain in the first days of June means the whole month will be dry.
- Warm nights in June mean a rich harvest.
- In the evening in June after rain, a rainbow appears - there will be good weather for a long time.
- If there are frequent thunderstorms at night, the harvest will be rich.
- Depending on the weather in June, the hay is counted.
- The rowan blossomed late - the autumn will be long.
- There is a lot of dew in June - a rich harvest.
- There is a lot of fog in June - the year promises a large harvest of mushrooms.
- If it is already stuffy at sunrise in June, this means bad weather.
- If in the morning in June the fog spreads across the water, then there will be good sunny weather.
- When the lilac fades, it means that summer is coming into its own.
- If there are a lot of cones on the Christmas trees at the beginning of June, this means a rich harvest of cucumbers.
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What will the weather be like throughout the summer?
July can safely be called a guide to the Russian summer. In 2021, the full season will begin from the first days of July.
A warm climate is expected in the Far East, comfortable weather will be established in Siberia and the Urals - up to +25-30. It will be warm in Altai, the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Primorye - up to +28-30, without precipitation or wind.
In Crimea and the resorts of Kuban, the temperature reaches +30, during the day you can safely dive into the sea and bask with pleasure under the gentle Black Sea sun. Heavy downpours, thunderstorms, storms at sea and hurricanes on land can ruin your mood.
In Moscow, July will be sunny and warm, +26-28, in St. Petersburg, summer freshness will linger at around +25. Rain, wind and thunderstorms will arrive here towards the end of July.
August will not be complete without showers and thunderstorms. In Belokamennaya, according to meteorologists, the weather will change dramatically in some places. In the Northern capital, the climate will be a little cooler, showers and thunderstorms will be more frequent, and the sun will be less frequent. And yet the air will not cool below plus 26 in general.
In Crimea and the Krasnodar Territory, hot, sometimes suffocating weather will continue, but it will not be without surprises. Forecasters warn that storm warnings at sea, land hurricanes and heavy downpours are expected in Crimea and Sochi.
