Sorry to end the week with bad news but tomorrow, January 16th, is Blue Monday, often cited as the most depressing day of the year. Blue Monday has existed since 2005, and is based on an equation which takes into account various factors. However, its detractors criticise the idea as pseudoscience and say it is driven by money.

Since the first Blue Monday equation was devised by psychologist Cliff Arnall, there have been a few different variants, but there are common elements to each. Of course you’ve got the winter weather, which explains why Blue Monday isn’t a phenomenon in the southern Hemisphere, where January is a summer month. Blue Monday is also not well known in the United States, as it usually clashes with Martin Luther King Day.

Why does Blue Monday occur in January? Black Friday, Super Saturday, Blue Monday - why do I get the feeling this is just another marketing thing? Is there any scientific evidence backing Blue Monday ? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

⁠What is the internet of senses?⁠

⁠What is goblin mode?⁠

⁠What should I eat before going to bed?⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First Broadcast: 18/1/2021

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