The Scientific Reason Why Rain Can Really Dampen Your Mood

After an oddly dry summer, parts of the US are experiencing record-breaking rain this fall—and it’s not even November yet. Mississippi, Nevada, and Louisiana just had some of their wettest weather on record. Arizona and New Mexico are dealing with historically wet monsoons, and Hurricane Ian dumped buckets of rain on Florida before causing a week of stormy weather in the Northeast.

Long story short: It’s been raining a lot, and it’s probably not going to let up anytime soon, experts say. Thanks—in part—to climate change, when it rains, it rains longer and harder than ever before.

And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell us that stretches of gloomy weather can dampen our moods. After being stuck inside for back-to-back rainy days, it’s totally natural to feel somewhat lazy and glum. Though some research shows that slightly cooler weather—that 60-to-70-degrees sweet spot—can actually benefit our mental health compared to relentless heat, dark and stormy days can be a different story for certain people. People who simply don’t vibe with the rain may feel “less happy” and angrier on wet days, per a paper from the American Psychological Association. 

There are various factors that may influence how and why dreary weather affects your mood, but scientists believe that a lack of sunlight is mostly to blame. “Light can be thought of as a ‘drug’ of sorts,” David Avery, MD, a professor emeritus of psychiatry at the University of Washington School of Medicine, tells SELF. When there’s too little sunshine, you’ll start to feel it—emotionally and physically.

That’s because your body relies on sunlight to keep your internal clock in check; it regulates your sleep-wake cycle. A dose of morning light helps you feel alert, so when it’s raining for days on end, you might start to feel drowsy. This can mess with your normal sleep patterns, causing you to snooze more or less than you usually do—and disrupting the quality of your sleep can mess with your mood, research suggests.

Sunlight may also keep your spirits high by boosting two of the body’s feel-good chemicals: serotonin and dopamine. Without this light—and adequate levels of these neurotransmitters—some people are more prone to feeling depressed, Dr. Avery says. Lack of sun (and its possible effects on your brain) is also believed to be one of the biggest triggers of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a form of depression that affects millions of Americans, mainly during fall and winter, each year, per the National Institute of Mental Health.

Other meteorological factors—including changes in temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure—may also trigger pain flare-ups in people who are susceptible (say, in those who live with chronic conditions like migraine or arthritis), which can understandably impact how a person is feeling emotionally. 

Rainy weather may also encourage you to stay home—and so you may be less active or cancel plans you were looking forward to (two things that can do wonders for your mental health). Without exercise or socialization—especially for longer periods of time—you may feel a bit more lonely or lethargic, which only feeds the bad-mood cycle.

Of course, this is all very personal. Though it’s not 100% understood, there does appear to be a link between your personality and your sensitivity to the weather. Some people just hate the rain and others love it.

For those who struggle mentally during rainy days, know that when the clouds lift, your mood usually will too. You can find some tips for preparing for SAD here, but the most important thing you can do, according to Dr. Avery, is to seek out some light, if you can. Even on overcast days, he says, outdoor light is significantly brighter than indoor light. So put on your cozy ’fit and venture out for a short walk, a midday coffee break, or a quick errand—drizzly day be damned (as long as it’s safe, of course). It may be just what you need to get out of that mental funk.

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