Please Stop Talking About The Weather
My neighbours in the elevator, my favourite barista, my fellow dog friends, and seemingly every other human being I have crossed paths with this week have all become the equivalent of a weatherman or woman. I understand we live in Canada and have not seen the sun since last August, but let’s all do each other a favour and stop forecasting.
“ Most of us have a phone. Siri’s already told us it’s overcast with a 50% chance of showers.”
True, it is a fact that the weather impacts our mood. Interestingly, according to a study by Dr. Jaap Denissen, weather is more capable of worsening a person’s negative mood than it is capable of enhancing a person’s positive mood. In fact, the study found no significant effects derived from the weather when it comes to improving one’s positive mood. Meaning if you’re in a good mood, good weather has not been shown to be able to make you any happier. But if you’re in a bad mood, bad weather can, and often will, annoy you—probably in the same way your co-worker who is chit chatting too much does, too.
On another hand, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a very rare depressive disorder where one’s major episodes are connected to a specific season. It is a mood disorder that happens every year at the same time. It’s less likely to occur during warm months, but it is not exclusive to bad weather. While the causes are not exact, scientists speculate that certain hormones in the brain trigger attitude-related changes. One theory is that less sunlight leads to the brain producing less serotonin, which regulates the mood. The result can be feelings of depression, along with fatigue and weight gain. In this scenario, I can sympathize and understand; however, again, it is a rare condition, meaning the majority of us are not faced with it.
I understand the desire to hype focus on weather, and am guilty of it too. Just the other day, I posted about being able to enjoy long walks with Luna again. We’re all tired of this cruel joke mother nature is playing on us. But let’s be real, talking about it is not going to change the weather forecast. Mother nature’s a force outside of our control. So, why give our energy to it?
Let’s choose to be happy on days that are lovely, rather than nitpick and complain that the temperatures are too low “in spite of the sun shining.” If it rains, it rains. If it snows, it snows. If it’s sunny, go out on a patio and celebrate. Do what makes you happy. Just, please, let us all stop talking about the weather in this incessant way that we have the past three months.
Photos by Sam Quinn