Sunny, cloudy or rainy: how the weather affects our mood

Analysis: The weather can impact us in both obvious and subtle ways, and both rain and sun bring different benefits to our lives

If you’re finding the weather changes are affecting you, you’re not alone. Irish weather tends to be quite varied, meaning we could have sunshine one day and rain the next. Sometimes you could have a long spell of rain with no end seemingly in sight, and other times it can be unusually hot.

While it may be obvious that weather changes impact your mood in some way, its effect is more powerful than you expect, Trevor Harley, emeritus professor of Psychology at the University of Dundee and author of Head in The Clouds: How the Weather Affects Our Minds and Mental Health. “The weather can affect us in many unexpected ways,” he said. “It varies from person to person and affects us in a lot of subtle ways too.”

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Several factors beyond our own personality come into play. For example, there are cultural norms, such as the idea that most people prefer it warm and sunny and dislike it when it’s raining. Yet how we approach the weather, aside from extreme events like storms, is really down to context and our perception of it.

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, there’s just different sorts of weather,” Harley says. “It’s not the case that sunshine is good and rain is bad; both are good. We just have to learn to look for different things and to understand that different weather brings different conditions that affect us in different ways. When it’s sunny, people feel more creative, and when it’s cloudy, they’re able to concentrate and do more.”

While most people aren’t fans of rain, it has benefits. For one, rain removes allergens and pollutants from the air, which are bad for our mental and physical health. Likewise our ability to complete tasks tends to increase when its wet outside.

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And sometimes, what we deem positive weather conditions can affect us in unknown ways. While warm weather can be associated with park and beach trips, too-high temperatures can negatively impact our mental health. Such conditions can cause road rage, violent crimes and admissions for mental health issues to increase.

The role of sunlight

While increased heat brings with it unfortunate side effects, the sunshine it brings is beneficial for us. It helps produce Vitamin D, which is good for our bones and immune system, and serotonin, which has multiple benefits, including regulating our mood. Not to mention the important role it plays in our sleep-wake cycle, which is essential for our mood and energy levels.

While you still need to exercise good judgment – too much sun exposure can damage your skin and result in skin cancer in the long-term – the benefits are crucial.

“We need to have light in the morning and dark at night, and that’s one of the things that gives rise to seasonal affective disorder,” Harley says. “People tend to be more depressed in winter, and that’s because there isn’t enough light in the morning, it’s too dark, and our biological clock doesn’t get set. Most people benefit from a little bit more light. There has to be white light in the morning, and you have to avoid blue light in the evening.”

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Our perception of events and our environment is another way the weather influences us. When people talk about being cold-hearted and warm-blooded, there is science behind it, and it impacts how we act in social settings, including how generous we are. “When people are cold, they tend to become a little bit more internal looking, less generous and a little bit less kind,” Harley adds. “But when they’re physically warmer, they tend to be more generous and giving.”

The one weather effect that most people don’t really like is wind, as stronger gusts cause disruptions and can make people feel more anxious.

Getting in touch with nature

Modern life has advantages and disadvantages when it comes to the weather, season, and climate. When it’s too hot, we use fans or air conditioning; when it’s too dark, we use artificial light; and when it’s cold, we use heating. Technology has helped us become more insulated from weather conditions, but it has impacted our connection with nature, according to Harley.

“That is good in one way because it means we don’t suffer from the bad effects of the weather, but it’s also bad because we have lost contact with nature”.

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Exposure to nature is good for people’s well-being, and Harley cites research showing that being closer to green spaces makes people mentally and physically healthier.

“It’s important to try and make some contact with nature every day, even if you live in the city centre,” he said. “The weather is one good way of doing that, by paying attention to it, looking at the sky, going outside and seeing how the seasons are unfolding, that’s all good for us.”

Harley recommends two things for those wanting to improve their physical and mental health. The first is to go for a walk in the light every morning, adding: “It’s important to get light in the morning rather than later at night, so a morning walk is good for your heart and cardiovascular exercise, and for being aware of the weather and nature.”

There’s no such thing as bad weather, there’s just different sorts of weather

The other is when during the winter months, Harley recommends using a light box in the morning, which can mimic outdoor light. Such a measure can offset the impact of seasonal affective disorder and help improve our mood.

So the next time you’re looking outside at the weather, and you find your mood changing, remember that it’s normal to be affected by it, and that you can always change your perception of it.

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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ

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