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You needn't be an expert in psychology to pinpoint January as one of the least enjoyable months of the year: the excitement of the holidays has concluded while related bills begin rolling in, the coming of a new year is for many people a reminder of passing time that prompts sad reflections about missed opportunities and accomplishments, no extended breaks from school or work are in the offing, and in many parts of the northern hemisphere the weather is unpleasant if not downright dangerous. It's often cold and drab out, with summer a distant memory nearly half a year away. But is any date on the calendar in January statistically the most depressing day of the year? Social media users have frequently posted about Blue Monday, a term assigned to any number of specific days in January (typically the third monday of the month). Rumors abound that a particular date (typically a Monday) has been deemed by scientists or researchers to be the most depressing of the entire year, with a number of factors influencing the calculation of this bummer of a date. Going by popular lore, you might believe we scarcely can control our level of contentment on that day given all the mathematical reasons for us to be well and truly miserable. The concept of a Blue Monday took root in 2005. In that year, a press release detailed a purported formula that calculated factors including weather, debt, time elapsed since Christmas, and unsuccessful New Year's resolutions. When those factors were combined and the sadness algorithm applied to them, 24 January 2005 was identified as the single most depressing of the year. Almost immediately the claim was regarded by many as a shaky one because the cited factors were clearly vague and nearly impossible to quantify, and because of the dubious impetus behind the formula. The calculations were attributed to a Dr. Cliff Arnall of the University of Cardiff in Wales, who explained: If that sounded a bit like a paid placement by a public relations firm working on behalf of a travel company to increase vacation sales, it's because the research was exactly that. By 2006, Blue Monday's roots in public relations had been fully exposed via others working in scientific fields who'd been offered the same financial opportunity as Arnall (who was a part-time tutor for night students at the time): Arnall later followed up with a corresponding happiest day of the year formula, sponsored by the Wall's ice cream company. In the intervening years, journalists and mental health professionals have taken Arnall to task for minimizing the issue of clinical depression. He later commented on his involvement with PR-as-science, amusingly objecting to other people's fabricating information to promote a claim: While the initial Blue Monday PR campaign has long since concluded, the belief any one day in January is particularly or significantly the most depressing took on a life of its own. Not surprisingly, the claim has been repeatedly recycled by other companies seeking to promote goods or services in the post-holiday winter period. And as social media became increasingly influential, the rumor evolved from a formula based on circumstances to an analysis of words used in tweets: In 2014, the Blue Monday story was reincarnated and harnessed by researchers linked with (among other interests) an alcohol company, law firms, and a bottled water brand. In short, the specifics behind claims about January's hosting the most depressing day of the year have shifted, but the idea both originated with and is mainly advanced by marketers and public relations firms. No studies or evidence have proved any one calendar date is more gloomy than any others, and the formula linked with the calculation of such a date has no real scientific basis. Critics have noted that assigning arbitrary or transient causes (such as the arrival bills or the end of Christmas vacation) to clinical depression could adversely impact its sufferers by tacitly suggesting the condition is treatable through methods as simple as booking a vacation or buying a drink.
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