sunshine mental health
© Konstantin Yuganov / FotoliaGør solskin dig glad? Hvis du er i stand til at opsuge nok solskin, burde dit niveau af følelsesmæssig bekymring være stabilt. Fjern tid til sol og dine bekymringer kan toppe.
Resume: Når det kommer til din mentale og følelsesmæssige sundhed, så er mængden af tid mellem solopgang og solnedgang den vejrvariabel, der betyder mest, viser et nyt forskningsresultat. Kilde: Brigham Young University (BYU).

BYU psykolog, fysiker og statistiker samarbejder om nyt enestående studie.

Solskin er vigtigt. Meget. Ideen er ikke ligefrem ny, men ifølge et nyt studie fra BYU, når det kommer til din mentale og følelsesmæssige sundhed, så er mængden af tid mellem solopgang og solnedgang den vejrvariabel, der betyder mest.

Din dag kan være fyldt med irriterende varme temperaturer, tyk luftforurening og måske endog lommer af regnskyer, men det vil ikke nødvendigvis slå dig ud. Hvis du er i stand til at opsuge nok sollys, burde dit niveau af følelsesmæssige bekymringer være stabile. Fjern tid til sol og dine bekymringer kan toppe. Dette gælder for hele populationen, ikke blot for de som diagnosticeres med "Seasonal Affective Disorder"

"Dette er en af de overraskende dele af vores forskning," sagde Mark Beecher, klinisk professor og autoriseret psykolog ved BYU's rådgivnings- og psykologtjeneste (BYU Counseling and Psychological Services). "På en regnvejrsdag eller en mere forurenet dag, antager folk, at de ville være mere bekymrede, Men det så vi ikke. Vi så på irradians, eller mængden af sollys, som faktisk rammer jorden. Vi prøvede at tage overskyede dage, regnvejrsdage, og forurening med i betragtning . . . men disse faktorer havde ingen væsentlig betydning. Det eneste, der virkelig var betydningsfuldt, var mængden af tid mellem solopgang og solnedgang." Terapeuter bør være opmærksomme på, at vintermånederne er en tid, hvor der er stor efterspørgsel på deres tjenester. Med færre solskinstimer vil klienterne være mere sårbare for følelsesmæssig stress. Forebyggende indsats bør igangsættes afhængigt af det individuelle tilfælde.


The study, which was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, started with a casual conversation that piqued Beecher's professional curiosity.

"Mark and I have been friends and neighbors for years, and we often take the bus together," said Lawrence Rees, a physics professor at BYU. "And of course you often talk about mundane things, like how are classes going? How has the semester been? How 'bout this weather? So one day it was kind of stormy, and I asked Mark if he sees more clients on these days. He said he's not sure, it's kind of an open question. It's hard to get accurate data."

A lightbulb went off in Rees' head. As a physics professor, Rees had access to weather data in the Provo area. As a psychologist, Beecher had access to emotional health data for clients living in Provo.

"We realized that we had access to a nice set of data that not a lot of people have access to," Beecher said. "So Rees said, 'Well, I've got weather data,' and I'm like, 'I've got clinical data. Let's combine the pair!' Wonder Twin powers activate, you know?"

The duo then brought in BYU statistics professor Dennis Eggett, who developed the plan for analyzing the data and performed all of the statistical analyses on the project.

Several studies have attempted to look at the weather's effect on mood with mixed results. Beecher cited four reasons why this study is an improvement on previous research
  • The study analyzed several meteorological variables such as wind chill, rainfall, solar irradiance, wind speed, temperature and more.
  • The weather data could be analyzed down to the minute in the exact area where the clients lived.
  • The study focused on a clinical population instead of a general population.
  • The study used a mental health treatment outcome measure to examine several aspects of psychological distress, rather than relying on suicide attempts or online diaries.
  • The weather data came from BYU's Physics and Astronomy Weather Station, and the pollution data came from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Mental and emotional health data came from BYU's Counseling and Psychological Services Center.
The three BYU professors were just the beginning of the collaboration on this research. There are 10 other authors listed on the study, including Davey Erekson, Jennie Bingham, Jared Klundt, Russell Bailey, Clark Ripplinger, Jessica Kirchhoefer, Robert Gibson, Derek Griner, Jonathan Cox and RD Boardman. Both Ripplinger and Kirchhoefer are currently doctoral students in BYU's counseling psychology program.

Mark E. Beecher, Dennis Eggett, Davey Erekson, Lawrence B. Rees, Jennie Bingham, Jared Klundt, Russell J. Bailey, Clark Ripplinger, Jessica Kirchhoefer, Robert Gibson, Derek Griner, Jonathan C. Cox, R.D. Boardman. Sunshine on my shoulders: Weather, pollution, and emotional distress. Journal of Affective Disorders, 2016;