The third Monday in January became known as ‘Blue Monday’, supposedly the “saddest day of the year”. This concept was introduced in 2004 by British psychologist Cliff Arnall and has often been used in advertising campaigns. But why was this day chosen?
Arnall analyzed several variables to identify the “saddest day”. Among them, the cold, bad weather, debts accumulated after the festivities, the feeling of guilt for abandoning New Year’s resolutions and the lack of motivation stand out. According to the psychologist, these conditions make the third Monday in January especially likely to be a date of greater sadness.
According to , the idea came about after a challenge from the travel agency Sky Travel, which asked Arnall to identify the best day to plan a summer vacation. “Initially I was asked to think about the best day to book a summer vacation, but when I started thinking about reasons to book a vacation, reflecting on what thousands of people told me during stress management and happiness workshops, there were factors which pointed to the third Monday in January as being particularly depressing”, explained Arnall to the British newspaper ‘The Daily Telegraph’ in 2010.
In addition to the “saddest day of the year”, Arnall also calculated the happiest day: the third Friday in June. This conclusion was based on factors such as social interaction, childhood memories linked to summer holidays, good weather and the anticipation of the holidays.
However, mental health experts point out that depression and mood swings cannot be predicted based on a single day or formula, as they are influenced by multiple complex factors.
Still, ‘Blue Monday’ has become part of popular culture and is often used to raise awareness about mental health, encouraging wellbeing and self-care during this challenging time of year.
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