Does living in warmer climate make you happier?
Published: March 6, 2007
One short-term cure for the winter blues is a snowbird flight south, and there’s real evidence that warm weather can put us in a better mood.
Norman Rosenthal, Clinical Prof of Psychiatry Georgetown University Medical School, has written about the connection between the weather and the winter blues.
“People in the south tend to be more sociable, and more friendly,” he said.
But it can take more than warm weather to bring us out of a winter funk.
“The greater amount of light helps people get out and about,” said Rosenthal.
In fact, studies confirm what many winter vacationers swear by: that the folks who live down south tend to be happier.
Only 1 percent of Florida residents suffer from seasonal-related depression.
Compare that to 4 percent of Washington D.C. residents and nearly 10 percent of Alaskans who are affected.
So how do you fight off the winter blues when a Florida vacation is not an option? The key may be in not allowing yourself to become isolated.
“Humans are social animals and we want to be around other people when its really cold out we don’t interact as much,” said Jeff Lucas, a social psychologist at the University of Maryland.
So while the warmth and light might help, it’s the people around you who are more often the real cure for the winter blues.
“Close relationships make people happier,” said Rosenthal.
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