The Weather and Our Mood - Coursework Example

The Weather and Our Mood Evidence does certainly appear to indicate that weather can and does have a noticeableand measurable effect on the mood exhibited with many individuals, but it is also clear that this is dependent on a variety of factors that must be taken into consideration. It is noted that the impact related to weather and mode is mostly likely variable based on geographical location. In essence, locations where changes from one season to another are quite drastic, mood is more likely to be impacted in a considerable number of people. This is in comparison to areas of ht world where such changes are more gradual in nature. In addition, when weather suddenly and unexpectedly changes, mood also tends to more affected as well. In areas where it is typically hot and sunny for many months in a row in an area that is typically rainy and grey, then more of an impact will be noticed. For psychologists, this issue is an important one to consider, particularly in clients who are experiencing depression or are prone to outbursts of anger. If this can be attributed in some way to changing weather patterns, then a possible treatment plan can be introduced to help them better cope with these differences. The Weather and Our Mood Just by taking a look around the world one can see that there are numerous external factors that affect the mood of an individual. Some of the factors are controllable, while others most certainly are not. The outside weather is one of environmental that works to alter the mood of many people in measurable ways. Some people, for example, thrive when the sun is out, only to become depressed and solemn when the world around them turns dark and grey. For people that tend to suffer from mood swings, it is important to understand if and how the weather affects them so that they can be prepared and implement a plan of action to help deal with their emotions with the changing seasons. This paper is focused on a discussion of the various ways that weather can affect a person’s moods, along with the indicators of such mood swings. Through the years, many have pondered how, if at all, weather impacts the mood of certain people more than others. Some are affected, for example, by extremely hot temperatures, while others appear to thrive in that type of weather. Some would even argue that hot weather seems to make some individual angry, aggressive, and in some cases violent. This is born out by statistics that more crime is committed in hot weather, as opposed to cold days. The reality is, however, that others would argue this does not indicate a shift in mood so much as it does a person’s reluctance to go outside during the cold weather. Even criminals, they argue, tend to stay indoors once the temperature falls below a certain point. There is the assumption by many, as well, that rains makes human beings sad. The same can be said about cold temperatures, as they traditionally cause some people to want to remain inside, hibernate, and otherwise be isolated from the outside world. These same arguments, however, can be said about individuals that look forward to the solitude that cold weather brings. Their mood may actually brighten as they view the change in temperature as a time to slow down, enjoy more indoor activities, relax, and recharge their ‘people’ batteries. In essence, the data may not be conclusive one way or the other, but both of these arguments alone does point to the reality that weather does impact mood. The manner in which this is reflected, however, may vary greatly depending on the particular personality of the individual. With that above factors and examples in mind, it is important to consider some relatively recent studies that have been conducted to determine the possible correlation between weather and mood. It was uncovered, for example, that daily weather changes have more of a propensity to impact negatively on a person’s mood than it does positively (Denissen et al., 2008). It was shown that the higher the temperature, the more likely a person with a low mood level will experience a rise in such feelings, whereas factors such as high winds or not enough sunlight being present can make a person who is already in a semi depressed state feel even lower. Studies such as the one previously mentioned illustrate that the psychological definition of seasons affective disorder (SAD) is actually a real condition whereby depressive episodes experienced by some people can actually be traced back and connected to a specific season or type of weather pattern. Many people believe that seasonal affective disorder only affects people during the fall and winter months, and even then only in geographical areas where the weather is quite harsh during these months. The reality is, however, that some people also experience seasons affective disorder during the spring and summer months as well, indicating that it is a shift in weather patterns that truly cause people to change their mood, either positively or negatively. One of the most commonly studied ways in which weather affects mood is related to that of extreme weather conditions. Specifically, is has been found that heat and the extreme rain can tend to bring out the worst of emotions in people. This does not necessarily indicate a depressed state, yet normally passible people can suddenly turn aggressive under such conditions. It was recently found that there is a link between human aggression and higher temperatures (Hsiang et al., 2013). The study being alluded to here uncovered that as temperatures increased noticeably, then conflicts within various group setting tended to rise, by up to 14 percent. This is a significant increase. It was also found that interpersonal violence rose by as much as 4 percent, which again is statistically significant. As a result, it can be said that heat makes people irritable. There are various examples of this at work. Consider the person that is required to wait outside for long periods of time in a crowd with the temperature gradually increasing throughout the wait. An otherwise patient individual might find that even the most minor of annoyances begin to both him or her, whereas the same events would have minimal effect were the temperature to be more comfortable. In addition, extreme rain can cause people to behave irrationally in their efforts to get inside or back home more quickly. Again, an otherwise patient individual might find that they have little to not patience for any delays that are directly perceived to have been caused by the weather. The findings displayed by Hsiang are not only valid for hotter temperatures, but also for rain. It was found that the more it rained, the more aggressive people tended to appear to be. This is particularly in regions of the world where a high amount of rainfall in not really expected to happen, such as in desert locations. It is important to note, however, that there is only a correlation for rain and aggressive behavior, but that one has not been proven to cause the other. There could be other factors at play in regard to extreme rain that affects mood beyond that of just simply having a desire to get in and out of the elements. Other research has confirmed the findings just described, making them even more relevant. It was recent uncovered, for example, that women who were talked to for the study during days that were associated with more rain and higher reported temperatures were statistically and substantively reporting a decrease in life satisfaction. These results correlate with the idea that weather affects mood. When the temperature was lower and there was not rain, the participants in the study did not typically provide such responses. This once again illustrates that reality that extreme temperatures and rain can cause a person’s mode to be negatively impacted. In this instance, women were not as happy on days that are hot. This causes them to be moody and less satisfied with the daily tasks that they must do to survive. This impacts a large array of areas of life, such as personal and professional goals, to the point that conclusion can be reached that women in more moderately temperate climates are more satisfied and have a bright outlook towards life than do women in other areas. There is also the troubling evidence that alludes to a possible link to suicide and weather. Specifically, it has been found that suicides tend to peak during the spring and summer months. While it is true that springtime may be considered to the season of hope and promise for many around the world, individuals that are depressed typically find that it makes them feel more hopeless. Many individuals, for example, look forward to the spring with anticipation and as an opportunity to get out and be more active. Depressed individuals, however, do not typically enjoy this type of activity as they are generally down and out, particularly when it comes to interacting with others. When the spring hits, they are constantly reminded that others with a brighter outlook on life are vibrant and enthusiastic about their prospects, while they are stuck in a depressed state that they simply cannot seem to get out of. It has been inferred that this is reality is buoyed by the increase in daylight and the warmer temperatures that are typically associated with the coming of spring, and moving in the summer season. One recent study found that individuals who work outdoors were far more likely to commit suicide during the spring months that they were during the winter months (IKoskinen et al., 2002). Worker who remained indoors had a higher suicide rate in the summer months, as opposed to the spring. In 2012 a detailed study making use of the meta-anaysis approach found a couple of interesting and factorial truths related to the notion that suicide rates are tied to seasons of the year. It was discovered that, “Studies from both the Northern and Souther hemisphere report a seasonal pattern for suicides. Thus, it seems that seasonality is observed with an increase in suicides for spring and early summer and an analogous decrease during autumn and winter months, that is a constant, if not a universal behavior that affects both the Northern and Southern hemisphere” (Christodoulou et al., 2012). A recent Swedish study also discovered a similar finding. In examining all suicides within Sweden that occurred from the years of 1992 to 2003, a similar phenomenon was uncovered in that there was a spring-summer seasonal pattern that reflected a peak in the rates of suicide amongst the people living within the country at that time. It was found that this was especially true in individuals that were being treated with an SSRI antidepressant. It is important to note, however, that regions of Scandanavia experience one of longest days in the world during the summer months, and this could skew the results uncovered in studies such as this. That is why a meta-analysis, such as the one previously mentioned, is so important as it relates findings for a variety of geographical locations around the world, each arriving at the same conclusion. The warmer summer months in any region tends to result in an increase, not decrease, in the rate of suicide amongst the resident population group. It should also be noted that the impact of weather on the mood of an individual can also be affected by their own inherent personality type. A recently study in 2011 reflects this truth. Klimstra et al. (2011) studies 415 adolescents and found that roughly half of them were not noticeably impacted by the changes in the weather that were being experienced in the area of the study. The other half, however, were. To look at possibly reasons behind this, personality was considered as a reason behind the findings. Among other things, the study found that about 17 percent of the participants were referred to as ‘summer lovers’. This means that they were happier and tend to have less fear and anger on days that were filled with sunshine and warmer temperatures. They also reflect more anxiety and anger on days that have a great deal of rain, as this tended to lessen their state of happiness. It was also found that 27 percent of these individuals were ‘summer haters’. Contrary to the previously group, these individuals tended to be less happy and demonstrate more fear and anger when the temperature rose markedly. Interestingly enough, these individuals were more happy and demonstrated less anger as the rain increased. These two findings alone support the hypothesis that weather does typically affect the mood of the individual, but the direction of this (either positive or negative) largely depends on the personality of the individual. Two more finds support this. Rain haters comprise 9 percent of the population in this recent study. These individuals are “Angrier and less happy on days with more precipitation. By comparison, there are more happy and fearful, but less angry, on days with more sunshine and higher temperatures” (Kilmstra et al., 2011). Finally, it should also be noted that about 48 percent of those individuals included in the population of this particular study did not show much of an effect on the changes of mood in relation to weather. This in indicative of the reality that it cannot be definitively stated that everyone changes their relative state of mood as the weather changes. It is important to note that the study mentioned above was confided to a study of teenagers in the Netherlands. We cannot, therefore, generalise these results to individuals in other parts of the world, but there inference can be made. In addition, this study is relative to the mood of teenagers, and not adults, and a study of this sort on adults has not yet been published. This study does illustrate, however, the significance of others published work that does begin to shed light on how weather does impact the mood of human beings. Other studies have found that weather does not necessarily have to impact the mood of an individual. It was found in once recent study, for example, that men often tend to respond to changes in the weather by simply altering their original plan. If it beings to rain unexpected, for example, they will simply opt to stay inside as opposed to going on a plan outdoor adventure and will think nothing of it. If, on the other hand, the weather turns really nice outside they might quickly decide to make a run for the beach or some other water related and outdoor activity. Women, are the other hand, appear to be affected by such quick changes to the weather, particularly when they impact their ability to complete previously scheduled and planned activities. They do not typically enjoy having to modify their activities based on weather, thereby being more affected in terms of their mood given unexpected changes in the conditions outside. References Bernard, H. (2000). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Bryman, A. (2012) Social Research Methods, 4th edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Christodoulou, C.; Douzenis, A.; Papadopoulos, F. C.; Papadopoulou, A.; Bouras, G.; Gournellis, R.; Lykouras, L. (2012). Suicide and seasonality. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 125, 127-146. Connolly, M. (2013). Some like it mild and not too wet: The influence of weather on subjective well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14, 457-473. Connolly, M. (2008). Here comes the rain again: Weather and the intertemporal substitution of leisure. Journal of Labor Economics, 26, 73-100. Denissen, J.J.A.; Butalid, Ligaya; Penke, Lars; van Aken, Marcel A. G. (2008). 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