Can Weather Affect Mood?

When you’ve lived in England all your life, you’ve almost accepted that great sunny weather is a rare occurrence. We’ve had so many “summers” full of clouds and rain. Gloomy weather, gloomy people.

At the moment, we’re going through a short burst of fantastic weather. The sun has been beaming. Temperatures have risen…I can’t remember the last time we’ve had a few days of 28 degrees in a row.

The obvious answer is absolutely yes…the weather does have an impact on the mood. The sunshine hasn’t increased the temperature only, it has increased spirits also.

I’m personally loving the great weather. People seem to be happier.

I went to the local park the other day with ma familia. The local park which has a pretty bad reputation, dirty weather, dirty pond, and dirty people getting up to dirty antics in the woods.

I remember quite a few years ago I was in “talks” with a young lady…potential match-making going on ‘n’ all that. She was talking about some of the stuff she used to get up to during her school-days without really giving any information of what that “stuff” was, albeit the hints were pretty obvious.

Out of jest, to make a joke, tongue-in-cheek banter to provoke a reaction, I said “You weren’t one of THOSE that went to THAT Park were you?!” I was expecting a response of “Err, D-Head, how dare you insinuate such a thing,” etc.

Instead…she laughed hysterically and said “OMG, how did you know?! HAHAHA”.

<FACEPALM>

Anyway…I digress.

Point being…this local park, with a not so good reputation actually turned out to be phenomenally amazing thanks to the sunny weather.

The transformation was immense.

The children’s play area was buzzing with kids…the pond area with an island in the middle and ducks flapping away was majestic.

The surround trees and forest looked amazing. It was great living the moment and taking in the atmosphere.

Normally, we go on holiday to other countries, and when we see landmarks like that we’re like “WOW, this country is amazing, look how good this simple park is over here.”

In that sense, yes, the weather plays such an important role in dictating mood..and the sun has a lot of power in that regard.

Consistent warm weather also changes the life-style and culture of a place.

In weather like this, you want to go out and stay out. Evening meals outside, rather than inside, on balconies, on grass, anywhere outdoors.

But when it normally rains, most restaurants and take-aways, naturally, don’t accommodate for this.

With consistent weather, you can also start different business, and activities that involve being outside. It’s probably why Dubai is so highly rated (over-rated for me).

Imagine finishing work, and sitting outside for an evening meal or drink in the setting sun, as opposed to running for the train to get home, as per my last article.

Great weather also naturally causes people to go out more. That means more walking, more cycling, more physical activity. This creates a healthier life-style, a fitter body.

That in turn reduces stress and anxiety.

But is it all so simple…is it really just a change in weather that changes mood?

Nah…I don’t think so. Not here in England anyway.

Why? Because we’re perennial, serial complainers.

When the weather’s dull, we complain about the rain.

When it snows, we complain about the snow…that does tend to wreak havoc..everything stops.

But worst of all are those (and it’s a high number) that COMPLAIN because it’s TOO HOT.

Good GOD….you just cannot keep the Brits happy lol.

So whilst great weather does have an impact…it’s short-lived, well for us in the UK…that’s because we’re not used to it and the difference gets us excited and happy. But then we end up complaining anyway.

Go to a country that has a lot of sunshine and you’ll see that they appreciate the rain. In fact, a lot of people find heavy rainfall soothing and peaceful.

So I suppose, yeah weather does affect mood still…it’s just not that sunny weather makes you feel good and wet weather makes you feel rotten.

Either way, point is weather may have some impact. But ultimately, it comes down to your habits.

If your habits stay the same, your mood will slip back into what it was regardless of the weather.

Not a lot of people want to work when the weather is really hot too. A lot of people get more stressed, or more peed off…”the weather is fantastic, but i’m stuck in the office..grrrr.”

Whatever the weather, people will still have complaints, and habits and routines that will not lift their mood.

I talked about my new habits and routine in a post which you can read here: <My Daily Habits/Routine>

To be honest, that’s a major drawback of being an employee. The lack of freedom to go out and enjoy a spontaneous event of great weather without having to ask for permission.

And of course…it’s one of the great things of owning your own business…”hmm, weather’s great…wicked, let’s get out of the office and get to the park.”

Even better is if you have an online business…great weather, excellent…let me take my laptop and get some work done in the sun.

So yes…I am going to shamelessly promote the heck out of starting an online business.

It really can change your life if you work at it long enough and properly.

It’s not as hard as you might think it is…but it’s not as easy either.

I know a lot of you are already thinking about it because since i’ve started talking about it openly i’ve had many of you contact me.

So it’s obviously a topic of interest.

And why wouldn’t it be…college drop-outs are making more money online releasing idiotic YouTube videos than professionals that have spent decades working up the corporate ladder.

The best part is you can literally go anywhere in the world and run your business, as long as you have access to a computer and an internet connection.

So if the weather does affect your mood, go travel to different places and experience different climates, or chase the weather you want to live in…whilst working online.

The best part of the era we live in is that you can literally open up any kind of business online and be successful with it.