Blue Monday

‘Blue Monday’: Will January 20 Be The Most Depressing Day Of The Year? The third Monday of each January is known as "Blue Monday." But is this really the most depressing day of the year? (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images) January 20, 2025, is being called “Blue Monday.” Not because it’s also National Cheese Lover’s Day, which may result in increased consumption of blue cheese. And not because it happens to be the day of the Presidential Inauguration this year, which may be a happy day for some but unhappy for others. No, it’s because back in 2005, a U.K. company called Sky Travel, began dubbing the third Monday of January each year as “Blue Monday.” This travel company claimed that this is the day each year when happiness levels go furthest South, meaning fall to the lowest levels of the year. So, the question is whether this claim was based on, you know, that thing called science. Well, surprise, surprise, not all claims out there are based on real scientific evidence. Yes, shocking but true. Apparently, the company worked with a U.K.-based psychologist named Cliff Arnall to develop a “depression formula,” that goes like this: [W+(D-d)] x TQ divided by M x NA. At first glance, seeing this big D, little d and other letters may make you go WTH. Well, in this formula, the W is supposed to stand for the weather, D for your debt, d for your monthly salary, T for the time since Christmas, Q for the time since you failed quitting something that you attempted to quit, M for low motivational levels and NA for the need to take action. It’s not exactly clear how these different units are supposed to mesh with each other. It’s also not clear what specific scientific evidence is behind this formula. But somehow, the formula helped the company working with the psychologist land on the third Monday of January as the worst day happiness-wise. There doesn’t seem to be a peer-reviewed scientific publication describing the process used. It also doesn’t make sense that one day should be particularly bad for everyone. Lots of happy things could happen on January 20. There’s the aforementioned National Cheese Lover’s Day, for example. So, if you like cheese, January 20 could be a particularly Gouda day for you, so to speak. Or you may be celebrating actor Rainn Wilson’s birthday if you are a fan of The Office or Rainn Wilson himself. Regardless, remember, no single day of the year is universally great for everyone or universally terrible for everyone—not even Presidential Inauguration Day. Moreover, this whole one-worst-day-of-the-year thing can end up oversimplifying and trivializing feelings and emotional states like depression, anxiety or the ups and downs that you would expect throughout the year. It could set up a “you should feel immediately better the next day” dynamic that again raises unrealistic expectations. For example, if January 20 is supposed to be the most down day, what if you feel even worse on January 21, January 22 or beyond? Keep in mind that emotional and mental health are not like a Slanket. They are not one-size-fits all and instead, a lot more complex. I’ve written for Forbes about the need for more precision mental health, where assessments and treatments are better tailored to different people and their varying circumstances. There have been efforts to counter "Blue Monday" such as this Color Run Presented by Skittles, known as the 'Happiest 5K on the Planet' that took place on January 18, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for The Color Run) All of this being said, there is one potential big benefit of the Blue Monday concept. It may bring more attention to why January in general—rather than a particular day in January—may be especially tough for multiple reasons: The weather can be cold and unpleasant in the Northern Hemisphere. Few would say that they would rather not be able to feel their hands and face, with the possible exception of what the Weeknd referred to in that so