Feeling SAD? try a mainland mentality!

As the days get shorter in the Northern Hemisphere, demand for SAD lamps goes up.

We all know that our mood seems to mirror the weather - and it’s true that living in a Northern latitude increases your risk of depression. But that link may not all be down to shifting day length after all. This fascinating study gathered data on mental health from over 195 countries -?Who is more prone to depression at higher latitudes? Islanders or mainlanders?

Even after adjusting for poverty, urbanisation and disaster risk, they found a three-way interaction between variability in day length, culture and attitudes. People in the North tend to have an ‘Island’ mentality with a narrow social and family circle and individualistic attitude compared to those who live in the more community-minded South. That leaves northerners, ‘Islanders’ more vulnerable to the vagaries of the weather and less able to cope when they do experience depression than those who enjoy a ‘mainland’ mentality.

That’s great news because you probably can’t change where you live but you can choose to adopt that southern attitude and take the time to say 'hello' to the people around you.?

Feeling pride in your home might help you to invite your new friends round, boosting your happiness score even more. The Happiness Institute surveyed over 13,489 people and conducted 78 in-depth interviews in 10 countries across Europe -?The GoodHome Report.?Their report concluded that 73% of people who are happy with their home are also happy in life. Your home accounts for for as much as 15% of your total happiness score, above health and fitness, which comes in at 14%, and significantly more important than earnings (6%) or employment (3%).

They found that pride is the most important emotion for a happy home, followed by comfort at 25%. Identity, or the sense that our home reflects who we are comes in at 17%, interestingly that scores higher than safety (10%) and control (4%). Simply making sure all the lights work, replacing those flickering compact fluorescents with a good-quality LED and investing in an adjustable task or table lamp could make the difference to how bright you feel.

That doesn’t mean that SAD lamps won’t help. Bright light therapy can boost mood for people who suffer from seasonal and non-seasonal depression alike. A targeted blast of light for a limited time (10,000 lux for 30-60 minutes) can be as good as an antidepressant without the side effects -?Bright light therapy for mental and behavioral illness: A systematic umbrella review.

Although the evidence is mixed, Dawn Simulator Lamps might help too,? as this recent study with patients experiencing major depressive disorder shows -?Effects of dynamic bedroom lighting on measures of sleep and circadian rest-activity rhythm in inpatients with major depressive disorder.

Exactly how Bright Light Therapy works is the subject of lively debate - the classic Serotonin hypothesis for depression has recently been called into question?The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence.?But setting the body clock and activating the attention and mood-regulating pathways all seem to have a part to play.?

So the simplest, and most sustainable (and affordable) solution may to brave the chill winds and gloomy headlines, get outside every morning and invite friends round to your bright and welcoming home - so we can all face the winter with a smile.