Winter is the worst season
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
For many people, winter can be miserable and there's a scientific reason for it.
The cool, refreshing breath of a fall breeze, colorful leaves swaying gently to the ground, apple cider, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice—how lovely. It is as if nature is bullying us, offering a taste of joy and whimsy as we all dread what we know will inevitably follow—winter.
Sure, summer is hot, spring is rainy, and fall is (of course) flawless. Winter is far, far worse than them all, though. Unless you are some masochistic lover of the eternal cold and wet, sleet and slush, shorter, dimmer, cloudier days, and sitting through miserable finals only to step outside and slip on some ice, then winter has very little to offer in the way of joy.
As I’m sure many of you skiers, snowboarders, and other winter enthusiasts will argue, winter has its merits. After all, who doesn’t love hitting the slopes or making a snowman in one of the two halfway decent one-inch falls of snow we get a year that melts into brown, muddy slush two days later, leaving every ski mountain nearby an icy, overcrowded mess—you see my point. We must endure winter, and nowadays, it isn’t even a good winter.
This is not simply an expression of my own personal distaste for the season. A host of scientific researchers have determined a very clear link between the winter season and reduced happiness for many people; known as “Seasonal Affective Disorder” (SAD) or, more colloquially, “seasonal depression,” this phenomenon is estimated to affect around 5 percent of adults (the majority of whom are women) in the United States, and to persist for around 40 percent of the year. This comes out to about one million people in New York State alone—likely higher because of our northern location—and around two hundred students at Geneseo.
The shorter, dimmer days and cold have a measurable effect on our well-being. Though the reasons for this are not fully understood, the current science indicates a few primary factors. According to the Mayo Clinic, decreased sunlight can reduce levels of both serotonin, an important mood-boosting neurotransmitter, and Vitamin D, which is involved in many important biological processes and may be linked to mood regulation. Additionally, shorter and dimmer days, coupled with increased reliance on artificial light, can disrupt our circadian rhythms—harming sleep quality and increasing drowsiness and fatigue, which can contribute to feelings of seasonal depression.
Fortunately, fall or winter onset SAD systems do subside as we progress into the warmer and longer days of spring and summer. But this doesn’t mean the only solution is waiting it out. In fact, one of the best-backed solutions for seasonal depression is quite simple, if counterintuitive: spending more time outside. When natural sunlight is in low supply, making a conscious effort to get more of it can help maintain your circadian rhythm and boost Vitamin D levels. Going out for a walk (with a good coat) or even just keeping your blinds open or studying by a window can help. Light therapy devices can also be an option if that isn’t enough. And, of course, the on-campus health and counseling services at the Lauderdale Health Center are always available should you need further solutions or more expert medical advice than someone writing for the student newspaper.
Ultimately, though, we may not need these coping mechanisms in the future. With the progression of climate change, our winter snows may be finite in number. This is a questionable victory for winter haters, but we will take what we can get.