Surprising Ways How The Sun Affects People...

Tuesday, 01 December 2009

Surprising Ways How The Sun Affects People...

I’m sure you’ve heard how the weather can “control” your mood. This, of course, does not apply to every single person and there are those who like rainy or snowy days more, but I’m sure there are waaay more people (including me) who’d prefer sunshine (whether cold or warm) over “dull” days. I mean, who would say no to sunshine?! Research has also shown that sunshine makes people nicer and puts them in a good mood, making them more willing to help others. Moreover, on sunny days (despite the temperature), people tend to answer more survey questions and give more generous tips. But that is not all. Here are more interesting and surprising ways that the sun affects people (Source from amNew York).
(1)    College applications: I know…what do sunny days have to do with college applications, right? But wait till you hear this. “The weather affects college applications, helping determine which types of applicants are admitted.” So, applicants who are strong academically are more likely to be admitted on cloudy days, while those who are strong socially are more likely to be admitted on sunny days. Why? According to Uri Simonsohn, a behavioral economist at the University of California-San Diego, it’s because “clouds call to mind thoughts of staying in to study.”
(2)    Lottery tickets: People tend to buy more lottery tickets on cloudy days-“not to boost our mood, but because weather-induced bad moods deplete self-control, making us vulnerable to temptation.”
(3)    Stimulant use: With less sunshine, people “compensate artificially, using more alcohol, coffee, tobacco and chocolate as a means of elevating our mood.”
What do you think about the list above? Do you tend to behave differently depending on the weather? How?

recommend
recs 0
share
email
sent 1

Comments (12)

i love seeing how weather affects people.
i know it affects me and my happiness.
those were interesting!
- 12/1/2009 8:05 PM
- laurenmaureen@xanga (message)
- reply
Really interesting... I know that some people can't live in Juneau, Alaska because of the lack of sunshine. The divorce rate goes up, too.
- 12/1/2009 8:06 PM
- Alatariel40@xanga (message)
- reply
There's this thing called Seasonal Depression where people get symptoms of depression during the winter. It's due to a lack of sunlight. Sunlight has Vitamin D in it which stimulates the glands that produce serotonin. With the lack of it, people don't feel as happy and many get very depressed.
- 12/1/2009 8:09 PM
- Tanezia_Delight@xanga (message)
- reply
wow.
- 12/1/2009 8:13 PM
- mnbvcxzjo@xanga (message)
- reply
i get seasonal depression alll the time .
its like i NEED the sun .
i could honestly say sunshine is my favourite thing in the world.
- 12/1/2009 8:16 PM
- excusemybones@xanga (message)
- reply
cloudy as hell, I feel like staying in, sleeping in, and eating more food.

if it's sunny, I feel good, I go outside more, and I eat more haha
- 12/1/2009 8:31 PM
- ChOcOChObO@xanga (message)
- reply
it's always blazing sunny in Phoenix. during the summer, people can get too much sun outside in just 15 minutes. instead of happy, they're grumpy. probably explains here about the aggressive drivers and missing doctor appointments... I'm so glad it's winter finally..
- 12/1/2009 8:56 PM
- smonki@xanga (message)
- reply
The sun makes me sneeze.
- 12/1/2009 10:14 PM
- shes_lump@xanga (message)
- reply
If it's cloudy, I feel more like sleeping, but if it's actually raining, I want to watch the rain, or play in it.
- 12/1/2009 10:26 PM
- angelwingfive@xanga (message)
- reply
the sun makes me wanna go out and do things......makes me happier. feel healthier...all around better attitude. love the sun. misss summerr
- 12/2/2009 1:15 AM
- sexncookies@xanga (message)
- reply
I'm one of those people who loves gray skies. Sun is okay, but it does give me solace in knowing that my turtles are getting sunshine.
I heard that if a human being gets 10 minutes of sunshine, it gives us all the vitamin D we need and that it's a mood elevator.
So I've heard, I'm not sure it's true.
- Kunoichi
- 12/2/2009 4:55 AM
- KrazeeKunoichi009@xanga (message)
- reply
I don't think that I do, I haven't noticed it. And looking back I can't think of anything out of the ordinary I do on cloudy days that I don't do on sunny days, and vice versa. I have my days where I'm grouchy or upset, but that seems to happen regardless of the weather and has more to do with the way other people have interacted with me. Such as, my mother nagging at me and treating me like I'm 12 when I'm 23. :p I know that that is what mothers do, but I have to say if I lived any closer to her and had to talk to her on a daily basis I'd never be in a non-grouchy mood no matter what the weather was like! :p
And while people are possibly nicer on sunny days, there are still a lot of rude people out there who feel the need to be mean on sunny days just as often as they do on cloudy days. But, I just think some people aren't happy themselves unless they have made some kind of rift in someone else's day. :(
- 12/2/2009 10:15 AM
- tracezilla@lovelyish (message)
- reply