Weather It Matters

Weather’s effect on mood and behavior is underappreciated and understudied. We are embarking on a study into the effect of rain, sleet, snow, sun and clouds, when they come, how they make us feel, and how this impacts our behavior, our productivity. Several 20 somethings say rain helps their mood on a Sunday and Monday, and sometimes even on a Friday, especially if Saturday sun is predicted. “If only we could dictate which days have which weather patterns,” Polly Singer, a 29-year-old dancer from Boston, said.

Polly may be on to something - perhaps we can’t control Mother Nature but perhaps we can organize our schedules, perhaps schools, employers, society could organize themselves around weather.

“I mean, if it’s going to be 70 and sunny on Monday, should we really be in front of a desk for 7 hours?”

There have been studies into weather’s impact on mood but perhaps not in recent years given the new attention around behavioral health.

In 2013, a group of researchers Hsiang found a link between human aggression and higher temperatures for instances. As temperatures rose, the researchers, led by Hsiang, noted that intergroup conflicts also tended to jump by 14 percent. And, interestingly, a research group led by Koskinen found in 2002 that suicide attempts increased during the daylight and warmer temperatures, and that outdoor workers were far more likely to commit suicide in the spring months than during the winter months. For indoor workers studied, suicides peaked in the summertime.

These are difficult subjects to discuss and analyze, but given the rising attention to the issue and growing epidemic particularly in youth and young adults, it is perhaps more important than ever to study the sky, learn from it, and adapt…

Stay tuned for the poll to share your perspective.