We may have just had the most wonderful time of the year but it's almost time for what's branded the most miserable.
The third Monday in January is commonly known as Blue Monday and this year it falls today, on the 17th.
It's supposedly the most depressing day of the year, due to a combination of combination of the weather, debt problems, low motivation, a return to work after Christmas and abandoned New Year resolutions.
But what's the science behind the 'most depressing day of the year'? In simple terms there isn't really any valid proof that Blue Monday is real.
It was a concept first coined in 2005 by life coach and happiness consultant Dr Cliff Arnall, who was hired by holiday company Sky Travel as part of its marketing campaign.
He was asked to come up with a formula to find out the day when most people will likely be booking sunny holidays to beat off the January blues.
The formula was made made up using various factors, such as the weather and post-Christmas slumps, and eventually the first Blue Monday was set for January 24, 2005.
The original 2005 press release claimed to have scientific research, including equations, to back up its claims, according to Liverpool Echo.
The sum includes variables such as "weather", "time since Christmas", "debt level", "motivational levels" and "time since failure to keep new year's resolution" - which scientists say aren't part of the metrical system.
However, this equation has since been debunked and labelled “pseudoscience”, with many experts claiming it to be total nonsense.
Dean Burnett, a doctor of neuroscience and previously a Cardiff University lecturer, wrote in a column in the Guardian in 2013, saying: "It is unscientific. It is pseudoscientific. It is uberpseudoscientific."
He added: "The equation itself is farcical."
Following this, Arnall apologised for linking the day with any depressive capacity.
He said it was "never his intention" to make January to glum, and that "whether embarking on a new career, meeting new friends, taking up a new hobby or booking a new adventure, January is actually a great time to make those big decisions for the year ahead".
Dr Cliff Arnall was at the time said to be a psychologist at a further education centre attached to Cardiff University.
The university later released a statement distancing themselves from the study, claiming he was a former part-time tutor that had left.
Despite being picked up by PR companies all over the world, the formula has also been debunked by several members of the scientific community.
Many have suggested there is no way you could assign numerical values to factors such as "weather".
Stephen Buckley, mental health charity Mind’s Head of Information, previously said: “There is no credible evidence behind the concept of a most depressing day of the year."
In addition, recently collected data has has shown that the most unhappy period of January tends to fall later in the third week.
According to HappyOrNot, the makers of the "smiley face" consumer feedback terminals found in airports, in 2021 it fell on Wednesday 20.
However, this wasn't found to be the most unhappy day of the year as a whole.
According to HappyOrNot's data, the most unhappy day of the year in 2021 fell on May 26.
January Blues are more scientifically recognised by experts as being a time when people kind find themselves feeling a little low.
Previous research has revealed that January is also the month Brits feel at their loneliest with almost a third of Liverpudlians feeling alone followed by 29% of Londoners.
The end of Christmas, a long wait until the summer holidays, and proximity to Valentine's Day for single people, are among the factors that making this time of year unbearable.
Professor Ed Watkins, a psychologist at University of Exeter, said: "There are all these cultural messages around Christmas and the New Year about goodwill to all people, the importance of spending time with close friends and family, having fun, and making new starts.
"However, for people who are isolated or finding these activities difficult for whatever reason, this stark contrast can make them feel inadequate and blue.”
“Some people can also negatively compare how they are now with what they used to be able to do or what they hoped they would have achieved by now and this can lower their mood.”
He added that the best way to overcome the 'blues' is to be more active, physically and mentally, connecting with other people, getting absorbed in interesting activities and becoming more concrete and specific in your thinking.
