Weather key to mood

Good weather has a greater impact on our happiness than a good day's work, exercise and even having a night out on the town - according to new research.

A new psychological study into the nation's mood from Lloyds TSB Insurance reveals that weather is key to our wellbeing - and is the most important factor in the day-to-day happiness of 6.8 million Britons.

According to the ‘mood scale', a measure of the impact of everyday factors on happiness, good weather makes us 18 per cent happier than a night out on the town. It also has more of a positive impact than a good day at work, exercise, and eating healthily.

The study also tested mood swings through simulations of different weather conditions. Sunshine and rainbows top the good-mood scale, whilst snow and lightning storms also have a positive impact on our mental state.

In contrast rain, sleet and dark clouds have a negative impact, with a third of people saying downpours lead to depression (29 per cent).

This may explain Britons' grumpy reputation, according to psychologists, with the Met Office recording that the UK has three times the number of rainy days compared to sunny ones. 

The changeable British weather may explain why the study found that today one in five of us claim to be affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of winter depression that affects people every winter and is particularly prominent from December to February (19 per cent).

Furthermore, the gloomy weather of January, February and March has made them the most depressing months of the year. This is in contrast sunny June, July and August are when we are happiest.

Psychologist Dr Glenn Wilson comments: "Often the ‘smaller' things in our day such as good weather can actually have the biggest impact on our mood, primarily because they are often unexpected. British weather's unpredictability explains why it has such an influence on our happiness." 

The research has been released as the insurer hosts the Lloyds TSB Insurance Weather Photographer of the Year, a major amateur weather photography competition judged by a leading panel of meteorologists and photographers.

Paula Llewellyn, Head of Marketing Services at Lloyds TSB Insurance said: "These findings prove just how much we are affected by the climate, with weather influencing moods up and down the country"

"As proud sponsors of the Channel 4 weather, we've launched the Lloyds TSB Insurance Weather Photographer of the Year Competition so Britons up and down the country can show us what they love about the climate, and what ‘British Weather' means to them"

For more information on the Lloyds TSB Insurance Weather Photographer of the Year Competition can be found at lloydstsb.com/weathercompetition.