BLUE MONDAY: IS 'THE MOST DEPRESSING DAY' OF THE YEAR JUST A PR STUNT?

 

Every year, the third Monday of January is dubbed “Blue Monday”. The theory goes that this is the time of year when we’re all cold, broke and riddled with guilt that our new year’s resolutions to get fit, drink less alcohol, and be a better human being have fallen by the wayside. But is Blue Monday really the most depressing day of the year, as it’s often called, or is the label just a misguided PR stunt?

The concept was originally coined in 2004 by psychologist Cliff Arnall. He came up with a “formula” for the January blues after he was asked to do so by travel firm Sky Travel, who then used the phrase in a press release to promote their winter deals. It took into account a number of factors likely to contribute to low mood and read as follows:

W = weather

D = debt

d = monthly salary

T = time since Christmas

Q = time since failing our new year's resolutions

M = low motivational levels

Na = the feeling of a need to take action

Arnall has since confessed that the formula is essentially pseudoscience and has urged Brits to “refute the whole notion” of Blue Monday. "I was originally asked to come up with what I thought was the best day to book a summer holiday but when I started thinking about the motives for booking a holiday, reflecting on what thousands had told me during stress management or happiness workshops, there were these factors that pointed to the third Monday in January as being particularly depressing,” he told The Daily Telegraph in 2013. “But it is not particularly helpful to put that out there and say 'there you are',” he added, describing Blue Monday as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Psychologist Dr Joan Harvey describes the concept as “completely meaningless”, particularly with regards to claims that poor weather is one of the main reasons why Blue Monday is so blue. “If it’s really bright and sunny, you might even find yourself feeling cheerful on the day,” she tells The Independent.

While Harvey points out that seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can leave people feeling depressed during the winter months, she stresses that pegging depression to one day in particular is “sensationalist nonsense”.

That being said, one positive element of Blue Monday is that it represents a chance to tackle some of the stigma surrounding depression and raise awareness of its symptoms, says Isabella Goldie, Director at the Mental Health Foundation. “What we can take from Blue Monday is that we all have mental health and that there are steps we can take all year round to protect it,” she tells The Independent.

1.Read the text and choose the correct answer.

1.    Blue Monday is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year because…

a.    January is the coldest month of the year.

b.    by then we realise that we won’t fulfil our New Year’s resolutions.

c.     we get fit and drink less alcohol.

d.     we feel guilty for being bad human beings.

2.    Arnall has encouraged British people…

a.    to believe in the notion of Blue Monday.

b.    not to believe in the notion of Blue Monday.

c.     to trust the notion of Blue Monday.

d.    to confess the notion of Blue Monday.

3.    According to Dr Joan Harvey,

a.    If the weather is bad on Blue Monday, we will probably feel depressed.

b.    If the weather is bad on Blue Monday, we might feel depressed.

c.     If the weather is good on Blue Monday, we may feel happy.

d.    If the weather is good on Blue Monday, we will feel happy.

 

2.Find words or expression in the text which mean the same as the following words.

1.    Nicknamed (paragraph 1)

2.    Without money (paragraph 1)

3.    Full of (paragraph 1)

4.    Created (paragraph 2)

5.    Invent (paragraph 3)

6.    Without sense (paragraph 4)

7.    Identify, label (paragraph 5)

8.    Knowledge (paragraph 6)

 

 

 

KEY

Exercise 1:

1-b

2-b

3-c

Exercise 2:

1.dubbed   2.broke   3.riddled with   4.coined   5.come up with   6.meaningless   7.pegging   8. awareness