How the weather plays a role on

people's happiness and society’s

behavior?

Economy of Happiness
Lorenza Carrillo & Luis Jiménez

Introduction
 We are all aware that the weather
influences our mood. In fact, most of
us are affected in some way by the
arrival of hot or rainy days, sunny days
or gray days. When we wake up in the
morning and see that it is a sunny day,
we start the day in a better mood. But
are these common suppositions true?

 Hypothesis

Weather does affect the way we

behave, our moods, our health, and
our happiness individually and as a
society.
 What is the physical environment?

The Physical Environment refers to

the external surroundings and
conditions in which we live and
which influence a person's health.
 What is the physical environment?
he physical environment can include
the weather of a place. Weather can
include rain, wind, temperature, and
humidity. All of these weather
patterns affect human behavior.
The weather of a place is the
natural physical environment of a
person. The environment has
conditions that can include
temperature, light, humidity, and
rain. It is important to distinguish
between climate and weather.
The climate of the region is the
"average" weather overtime
periods
 What is the physical environment?

The climate of the region is the

"average" weather overtime periods.
We cannot choose a very long period
because the climate changes times,
so the default measure is an average
of 30 years.

he weather is what is happening

now. An example of a long dry spell
is climate, and the aspect of snowfall
today is the weather.
 Does the weather
affect our mood?
The weather has long
been believed to
influence not only people's conscious
emotional responses, but also their
digestive, cardiovascular, and respiratory
functions. Despite the fact that the actual
causal relationships have never been
established, various studies have found
rather consistent correlations between
specific climatic factors and human
functioning and/or behavior.
 Our state of mind is influenced by
many variables with which we are in
contact, such as the people around
us, our obligations, and our personal
and work situations, and the
weather is one of those variables
with which we are in constant
contact.
 By nature, the human being is
prepared to seek climatic comfort,
and when changes occur, especially
if they are sudden, they cause a
destabilization of the organism. This
imbalance is sometimes shown
through the state of mind and it can
happen that in some people
symptoms of depression appear
 Warm and Sunny
Weather

Certainly, most of us feel good when

the sky is clear and it's a sunny,
warm and hot day. Many studies
have shown that even short periods
of sunlight, in most cases of only a
few hours, are sufficient to improve
the mood of a person and reduce
any depressive symptoms.
 This positive influence of sunlight
on people’s moods is explained by a
light-induced increase in serotonin
in the brain. Serotonin is known as a
‘happiness hormone’. It is related to
movement and
initiative, positive mood, sexual
desire, well-being, and even with
euphoric states

 Seasonal Affective
Disorder

Seasonal affective disorder or SAD is a

recurrent major depressive disorder
with a seasonal pattern usually
beginning in the fall and continuing into
the winter months
 The Australian Psychological Society
(2005) mention that some factors that
contribute to this disorder could be:

Reduced sunlight can affect the body’s Reduction in exposure to sunlight can Disruptions to Melatonin (a type of
circadian rhythms (internal body clock), cause a drop in Serotonin levels, which hormone) levels, which can affect
which can lead to feelings of depression. can lead to feelings of depression. sleeping patterns and mood.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that

affects mood.

 Cold Weather

When temperatures drop, what happens

in our body goes beyond physiological
mechanisms. The cold also has an effect
on our way of feeling, thinking and
behaving, although on many occasions
we are not even aware of this. The
influence of the cold on our mood is
becoming more and more noticeable as
the thermometer shows lower
temperatures.
Cold Weather and productivity

Adam Alter, professor of marketing and

psychology at New York University,
argues that people are biologically
prepared to avoid sadness, seeking
different solutions to repair that state of
mind. Hence, bad weather can make us
think more deeply and clearly, unlike
sunny days where the environment does
not present itself as a threat. However,
according to the expert, the problem lies
in the process prior to work, where the
complex part is waking up and moving
 How can some of the coldest/happiest
countries in the world beat SAD

Why do Nordic nations, the top contenders for seasonal

affective disorder, are able to survive, thrive, and stay
happiest despite long, dark winters? It's all about
mindset and genes. Kari Leibowitz, a PhD candidate,
conducted research on this topic.

 It's all about mindset and genes. Kari

Leibowitz, a PhD candidate, conducted
research on this topic

Norwegians’ arsenal of coping

mechanism also includes the concept of
koselig, whose regional equivalents
include the Danish “hygge” and the
Swedish “mys.” “It’s a philosophy that
combines coziness, companionship and
nature, taking pleasure in the simple
things in life, to promote personal well-
being.
ulture and behavior may not be the only
factors allowing people in some of the
world's darkest parts to thrive and
survive throughout the arctic night.
There is some indication that genetics
may be involved. Several
epidemiological studies comparing the
incidence of SAD among populations in
different countries suggest that some
populations may have developed genetic
resistance to the disease.
 “Happiest countries” and
weather relationship
An article released by the
Columbia University Earth In 2022, the Ranking of Happiness
Institute Happiness Index in 2019-2021 of the World Happiness
2013, mentions that people Report surprisingly shows similar
looking for better happiness results to the results of the
and fulfillment in life should
travel to northern Europe.
Columbia University Earth Institute
According to a poll of 156 Happiness Index back in 2013.
nations, Denmark, Norway, Showing at the top of the ranking
Switzerland, the Netherlands, countries of northern europe.
and Sweden are the world's
happiest countries.
Survey
After conducting the survey we
asked the students that are part
of the Erasmus programme and
we received a lot of useful
information that led to the
conclusion that we had
established right from our
beginning. The weather and
climate of a region affects the
behaviour and mood.
Conclusion
 we can conclude that the
hypothesis that we set is true
and that the weather of a
region does affect the way we
behave, our moods, our
health, and our happiness
individually and as a society.
In fact, it plays a very
important role, since it
shapes human behavior and
health can be severely
affected because of the
climate.

 This topic is very interesting and has resulted in constant

debate and research. The debate comes when the rankings
of happiness show that the happiest countries are in a
major part, the ones that have a cold weather and are in
north Europe. However, our research and survey shows
the opposite way. We can infer that those countries appear
to be the happiest countries of the world because of othe
reasons, some of these reasons can be: good education, low
criminality, job opportunities, gender equality, high
incomes, etc.
In conclusion, we can state that weather does affect how do
we behave. It affects us differently.

 References
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September. 2022.

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ResearchGate,Nov.2008,www.researchgate.net/publication/23302100_The_Effects_of_Weather_on_Daily_Mood_A_Multilevel_Approach. Accessed 21 September. 2022.

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Activity
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