Additionally, women seem to be more affected by weather conditions than men, and older adults are more likely to report joint pain. Of all the weather types the researchers found correlations for, temperature specifically had the most significant influence over both physical and emotional symptoms. What Kinds of Weather Impact Our Emotions the Most? Another study looked specifically at how weather affects a wide range of physical and emotional symptoms and found that in addition to joint pain and migraines, the weather affected muscle pain, itchiness, eczema, fatigue, anxiety, cramps, and depressed mood. TemperatureĪs previously mentioned, barometric pressure can trigger some types of pain. They also found that people who were more flexible with regard to changing plans were less likely to be negatively affected by rainy weather. In one study, the authors note that some of the negative emotions related to rainy weather could be associated with having to change or cancel plans due to weather. Changes in barometric pressure can also trigger or worsen migraines. The Cleveland Clinic notes that changes in barometric pressure, especially when coupled with falling temperatures and increased humidity - classic characteristics of rainy days - can worsen joint pain, which can certainly affect your mood. If you can “feel the weather in your bones,” there’s a chance that what you’re feeling is a reaction to a change in barometric pressure. In general, high humidity can exacerbate physical symptoms and make people feel sluggish and less productive. A hot, humid day feels hotter and more oppressive. Humidity affects the way our bodies perceive temperature, among other things. And just like those studies, researchers cite several “confounding factors” - things that make it harder to determine whether rain was the element responsible for people being sadder. Factors That Impact Mood ChangesĪre people really sadder when it rains? In general, studies have found some correlation between rain and mood, but the results are similar to those of the studies on the effects of sunlight in that there are more underlying factors than simply the rain itself. Treatments can include phototherapy (which simulates sunlight) during the darker months. Researchers have found that SAD is caused by, among other things, a lack of serotonin and of vitamin D, which is most commonly delivered through exposure to sunlight. Shorter days and fewer hours of sunlight in autumn and winter can have varying effects on a person's mood, ranging from simply feeling down during cold or cloudy weather to having extended, seasonal symptoms like depression, lethargy, and anxiety.
Many researchers have distinguished seasonal mood variations - which we see, for example, with SAD - and daily mood variations. Consistent environmental conditions put less stress on the body - it doesn’t have to adjust to fluctuations in temperature, barometric pressure, and humidity, for example. Sunny days tend to be more meteorologically stable, with fewer extreme weather shifts than cloudy days.People tend to have higher serotonin levels on bright, sunny days than on gray days.Sunlight is essential to our body’s production of vitamin D, which affects mood.People are more likely to get outdoors and engage in fun activities when it’s sunny.Some of the factors that may account for our general impression of being happier when it’s sunny include: In other words, there’s a lot more to being happy in sunshine than the presence of sunlight. However, once they accounted for other weather variables (like barometric pressure, humidity, and temperature) as control factors, the connection between sunlight and mood became weaker. Researchers have found that a significant number of people report feeling happier when the weather is sunny. Common sense suggests that people are happier when the sun is shining, but researchers who dug into this have often been surprised to find that sunshine on its own generally has little to no effect on mood. The short answer is yes, but there are many factors that determine the degree to which this is true.
But does science? A growing body of evidence suggests that might be the case. Whether they’re only happy when it rains or prefer walking on sunshine, most people will tell you that the weather affects their moods - even the songs we listen to confirm it.
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