The true story about the Blue Monday

It’s that time of year again, ‘Blue Monday’ season, that celebrates the symbolically the ‘most depressing day of the year’. I created the ‘Blue Monday’ meme back in 2005 from another PR agency’s idea about creating a PR news hook for establishing a formula to identify ‘the most depressing day of the year’ to get their travel industry client in the news.

?Although its original concept was contrived, I elaborated on the idea and created the label ‘Blue Monday’ as I thought it could create a precious opportunity to promote mental well-being, positive psychology, or just an excuse to have a good time in what can be a dismal time of the year.

And the strength and sustenance of the meme - every year it is a top Twitter trend - provides evidence that we inadvertently stumbled upon a previously undiscovered truth: people want there to be a Blue Monday. Their talking about, sharing on social media provides evidence of a modern phenomenon.

Even though the original idea had commercial motives behind its conception there is now data since 2005 of the Blue Monday meme growing over the last 17 years in media coverage, conversations and a top Twitter trend. We have unwittingly uncovered a hidden, latent, social phenomenon.

Unfortunately, the Blue Monday story is mired in controversy. An influential network of scientists took against the idea, critical of it being ‘bad science’, yet subsequently refused to listen to the insight that it had revealed a hidden emotional feeling of ‘people want to recognise they feel low at this time of year’.

The origins of Blue Monday may have been contrived. Yet, as a symbolic day it still has great potential to raise valuable funds for good causes - if it raised less than 1% of that raised by say Comic Relief, it would realize ￡500,000 a year for mental health causes. Sadly, Blue Monday’s potential goes unfulfilled because of the earlier controversy.?

How Blue Monday came about

The origins of Blue Monday emerged from a contrived publicity stunt. It wasn’t even my idea. A London PR agency, for their travel client, created a news hook to get their client in the news towards the end of January, the time when people are considering booking their summer holidays. They commissioned psychologist Cliff Arnall (a really good guy) to identify ‘the most depressing day of the year’.

Cliff devised a formula of when ‘the most depressing day of the year’ could be, which he posited as the third Monday of January. There is no formal data to quantify the mood and state of people’s thinking on the particular day of the third Monday of January, it’s a heuristic (a rule of thumb).

I was working in my office on the preceding Saturday, saw the story on BBC News and recognised an opportunity to surf on someone else’s story. I piggybacked with my own news release declaring ‘You don’t need to be depressed on this ‘most depressing day’ by following my 7 Point Plan’ (another heuristic devise) - and received extensive coverage including being filmed skipping down the street by Yorkshire TV outside my office in Wakefield.

Recognising ‘the most depressing day of the year story’ as being akin to a hardy annual plant, I later approached the agency asking what they had planned for story for the following January. I was told they had used the idea once and were moving on.

Surprised, I asked if I could use the idea and, to their credit they said ‘Yes’. I then approached the psychologist Cliff Arnall if I could use his work and he kindly also agreed. I figured to make the idea even more potent I affixed the label ‘Blue Monday’ and also sought to create a link with wider mental well-being.

I had no intention of commercialising the idea. I have not made a single penny from Blue Monday. I may not be Mother Theresa but genuinely sought to offer it to mental health causes as a free idea and vehicle for them to raise awareness and valuable funds. Sadly, I had inadvertently strayed into a turf war between an influential group of psychologists and Cliff Arnall, who subsequently used their influence to block major mental health charities from getting involved.?

New scientific evidence that Blue Monday is something valid

Why is Christmas Day on December 25th? One theory is that the early Christians merely piggy-backed on the existing Pagan ritual of celebrating mid winter. Seemingly, our ancestors perhaps wanted some cheering up in the middle of a bleak season. By linking the new Christian celebration with an existing Pagan festival it created a bigger occasion. Even though surveys show a decline in religious belief and attendances at Christian churches in the UK, Christmas as an albeit increasingly secular, a growing celebration.?

Why?

Because people want it to be: it fulfils emotional or societal needs.

‘Blue Monday’ similarly, fuelled by modern trends, such as feeling of being skint, with the monthly pay check prematurely running out, the inflated credit card bill, or the lack of resolve to sustain New Year’s resolutions, creates a sense of discontent.

For those who receive their December pay on Christmas Eve, is good news for having money for the festivities but bad news in making January a ‘five week month’.

Opportunity for mental well-being and raising valuable funds

For anyone desperately working to raise awareness and engagement about mental well-being Blue Monday creates that wonderful rare time when the media and the on-line buzz comes to you, providing a precious talking point and potential media hook for subjects which face difficulty getting a hearing, such as mental health, depression and suicide.

It also creates a welcome opportunity for positive well-being and asserting happiness and joy in the world.

On a previous Blue Monday I listened to a local BBC Radio station which played a series of uplifting, good mood enhancing songs, but also had a live outside broadcast from a school where youngsters had their jokes aired, (“Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide!” was a typical effort.)

The show later got a text from a woman, who was foster mother to one of the children who had their jokes broadcast. She was delighted how it had boosted the youngster’s confidence and self-esteem.

Doesn’t that make you feel good?

You can make yourself feel superior and ignore Blue Monday, dismiss it as ‘bad science’ (even though it is only described as the ‘symbolically’ the most depressing day).

Or you can regard it as a power for good. Reflect on mental well-being of yourself and those around you. Even enjoy yourself with Blue Monday. I know I will!

#BlueMonday #Memes #MentalHealth