The credit card bills reminding you of your holiday spending have all arrived, along with your bank statement boasting a diminished balance.
It’s Blue Monday―a phrase coined by the media to describe the third Monday in January, when the holiday cheer is officially over, it’s biting cold, and you’re probably broke.
But is it legit?
“The combination of a Monday and the coldest time of the year may indeed be rather bad,” said Reeshad Dalal, chair of George Mason University’s Department of Psychology. “Things may be even worse for women, who suffer disproportionately from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).
“Despite the intuitive appeal of the Blue Monday effect, several research studies have shown that the ‘Thank God it's Friday’ effect is a much better explanation for people's actual mood patterns,” he said. “So it's not that mood is worse on Monday than during the rest of the week per se, but that mood drops off from the weekend to Monday.”
What to do if you’re blue
It helps that this Blue Monday is a holiday for many workers. But if you have to work, or a need a nudge when you do return to work, having a bit of gratitude for what you do have will go a long way, according to a study conducted by Seth Kaplan, a psychology professor at George Mason.
Kaplan’s study about ways to increase employee well-being found that gratitude boosts well-being. Thinking about and writing down something that you’re grateful for, especially new instances, helps you relive the experience, as does simply thanking someone.
Seth Kaplan is a psychology professor at George Mason University. He has a PhD in industrial/organizational psychology from Tulane University. Kaplan can be reached at 703-993-8475 or skaplan1@gmu.edu.
Reeshad Dalal is the chair of George Mason University’s Department of Psychology. He has a PhD in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dalal can be reached at 703-993-94-87 or rdalal@gmu.edu.
For more assistance contact Jamie Rogers at jroger20@gmu.edu or 703-993-5118, or Michele McDonald at 703-993-8781 or mmcdon15@gmu.edu.
About George Mason University
George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls more than 33,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility.