‘Blue Monday’ most depressing of 2005
A psychologist has predicted that today is the most depressing day of 2005.
Cardiff University’s Cliff Arnalls used a complicated mathematical formula to calculate that January 24 is truly a “Blue Monday”.
He said fading memories of Christmas, mounting debts, poor weather, failed New Year resolutions and the long, dark nights create the perfect mix for gloom.
Dr Arnall’s formula of woe reads [W+(D-d)]xTQ MxNA, which translates as weather (W), debt (D) (minus the amount of money to be paid on your next pay day) and the time (T) since Christmas.
Then there is the period since the failure to quit (Q) a bad habit along with general motivational (M) levels and the need to take action (NA) to plan something to look forward to.
Dr Arnalls explains that the energy we get from a relaxing Christmas break wears off by the third week of January, making it the darkest week of the year.
In addition, most of us will have made and failed to keep New Year’s resolutions made when faced with the exciting prospect of a new start on January 1.
He says that within an average of six or seven days the majority of people will return to their bad habits, which results in a sense of failure and knocks their confidence.