Analysis: The weather can impact us in both obvious and subtle ways, and both rain and sun bring different benefits to our lives<\/p>\n
If you’re finding the weather changes are affecting you, you\u2019re 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<\/a>, and other times it can be unusually hot.<\/a><\/p>\n While it may be obvious that weather changes impact your mood in some way, its effect is more powerful than you expect, Trevor Harley<\/a>, emeritus professor of Psychology at the University of Dundee<\/a> and author of Head in The Clouds: How the Weather Affects Our Minds and Mental Health<\/a>. “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.”<\/p>\n We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences<\/a><\/p>\n From RT\u00c9 Radio 1’s Morning Ireland, clinical psychologist Dr Malie Coyne on how good weather can affect our mood<\/p>\n 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\u2019s raining. Yet how we approach the weather, aside from extreme events like storms, is really down to context and our perception of it.<\/p>\n “There\u2019s no such thing as bad weather, there\u2019s just different sorts of weather,” Harley says. “It\u2019s 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\u2019s cloudy, they\u2019re able to concentrate and do more.”<\/p>\n While most people aren\u2019t 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences<\/a><\/p>\n From RT\u00c9 Radio 1’s Drivetime, when will the summer really arrive?<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The role of sunlight <\/p>\n While increased heat brings with it unfortunate side effects, the sunshine it brings is beneficial for us. It helps produce Vitamin D<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> – the benefits are crucial.<\/p>\n “We need to have light in the morning and dark at night, and that\u2019s one of the things that gives rise to seasonal affective disorder,<\/a>” Harley says. “People tend to be more depressed in winter, and that\u2019s because there isn\u2019t enough light in the morning, it\u2019s too dark, and our biological clock doesn\u2019t 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.”<\/p>\n We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences<\/a><\/p>\n From RT\u00c9 Radio 1’s Today with David McCullagh, is relentless rain getting you down?<\/p>\n 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<\/a>. “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\u2019re physically warmer, they tend to be more generous and giving.”<\/p>\n The one weather effect that most people don\u2019t really like is wind, as stronger gusts cause disruptions and can make people feel more anxious<\/a>.<\/p>\n Getting in touch with nature<\/p>\n Modern life has advantages and disadvantages when it comes to the weather, season, and climate. When it\u2019s too hot, we use fans or air conditioning; when it\u2019s too dark, we use artificial light; and when it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n “That is good in one way because it means we don\u2019t suffer from the bad effects of the weather, but it’s also bad because we have lost contact with nature”.<\/p>\n We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences<\/a><\/p>\n From RT\u00c9 Radio 1’s Morning Ireland, Dr. Sabina Brennan outlines the benefits of sunshine for your mental health.<\/p>\n Exposure to nature is good for people\u2019s well-being, and Harley cites<\/a> research showing that being closer to green spaces makes people mentally and physically healthier.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s 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\u2019s all good for us.”<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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.”<\/p>\n There’s no such thing as bad weather, there\u2019s just different sorts of weather<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n So the next time you\u2019re looking outside at the weather, and you find your mood changing, remember that it\u2019s normal to be affected by it, and that you can always change your perception of it.<\/p>\n Follow RT\u00c9 Brainstorm on WhatsApp<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> for more stories and updates<\/p>\n The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RT\u00c9<\/p>\n