Good Day, Sunshine
It is summertime here in the Northern Hemisphere (the part of the earth that is between the equator and the North Pole), and that means that we are getting a lot more sunshine. Many of us go to the beach (well, not me, but some people do!), or go outdoors (outside of a house or building) to enjoy the good weather. But did you know that sunshine also affects us in other ways? A recent article in the magazine Psychology Today talked about all the different ways that research has indicated sunshine affects us. Here are some of them:
- We tend to feel more generous (giving to others) and want to help people on sunny days. People leave bigger tips (extra money to someone who is giving you service, such as a waiter in a restaurant) on days when the sun is shining.
- Admission committees (people at colleges and universities who make decisions about which students will get to study there) are more likely to select students who seem to have good social skills (are friendly, outgoing, sociable) on days when it is sunny. But on cloudy days (days with little sun), students who have a better academic record (performance in school, such as grades and test scores) are more likely to be admitted (accepted into the university). Note that in American universities, your academic record is not the only thing that determines whether or not you will be admitted. Admission committees look at many different factors, including your extracurricular (outside of school) activities, such as volunteering and sports.
- The stock market (a place where you can buy and sell partial ownership in companies) tends to go up when it’s sunny in the city where the stock market is located. For example, when it is sunny in New York, the New York Stock Exchange is more likely to go up that day! This is a good reason not to invest in the London Stock Exchange, I think.
- People buy fewer lottery tickets on sunny days (tickets that the government sells that give you a chance to win a lot of money; a type of official gambling). Some people feel better when they buy a lottery ticket, thinking that they are going to win, but on sunny days, people don’t need this extra “lift” (increase in good feeling).
- On sunny days, we are less likely to try to lift our mood (our feelings) by using alcohol, coffee, tobacco, and chocolate.
Of course, you don’t need sun to be happy. But it doesn’t hurt, either!
~Jeff
P.S. Los Angeles has about 182 sunny days per year, making it the 10th sunniest city in the U.S.
July 9th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
I love sun, but not the summer sun.
I am a lucky man because I live in a city what have three hundred sunny days per year.
The sun makes us feel happier. However, people who have luck to live in sunny cities, also they enjoy of cloudy days, maybe because they are not many days. However, they don’t enjoying so much of the windy or rainy days.
As far as I concerned, the most wonderful days are the sunny days in the fall or winter, when temperature is low (around 10º C or 50º F).
It is very nice to go for a walk these days with your partner, enjoying parks of the city, and having a beer with olives and chips, sit outside of a bar under the sun.
By the way, today was a wonderful cloudy day in Valencia city, but mañana will be another sunny day.
All the best.
July 9th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
I love sunny days, may be because Madrid is a sunny city either the centre, the east and south of Spain. Only the north is green,
beautiful and not so sunny.
It is a fact to me that when there are too many days raining I am a little sad, and I wanted to see again blue sky and the sun
shining again.
I don´t like fog or mist, it is so cold and grey.
I think one of the best things we have here in Spain is the weather, sunny days, warm days, short nights in summer or spring
and may be by the reasons you told us Jeff, just our character always in good disposition to have fun and spend good time
talking and drinking a good beer.
Many foreing people who come from the north of Europe wanted to be here the rest of their lives because the good weather
is so much important. They wanted sun, blue sky and good food.
July 9th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Come on, Jeff ,are you rubbing my nose in it!? ( joking) . You know that here in this subarctic country . Sun hardly ever comes out. I mean it is right in the middle of the sky , but it is not the sort of sun you get down there . It is the kind of sun you use to get back home, remember!?. Please don’t take exception to it ,I don’t mean it.
How ever, here is totally the opposite. We get 200 days snowy days with no oasis in the middle ( you know what I mean) ,and there are chances that you bump into a polar-bear family who is walking by more often than not (LOL).
We are a bunch of sun-deprived people as a result.Still ,it is a beautiful country with all its intact nature and lots of bountiful resourses.
So ,Jeff I guess sometimes we should switch places for a change
yours,
July 9th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
used to get
July 10th, 2009 at 2:57 am
Hi ! John Milton , Paradise Lost written in 1655 …
Could I read the greatest epic poem in the English language focusing on the events surrounding the fall of Adam and Eve with the language from 1655 ? No, I could not .
A friend of mine says to me :
- Oh ! I have never read such a wonderful novel like Ulysses by James Joyce ! (born in Dublin ! )
- I must read it , I said .
I borrowed it and I started to read . Unfortunately … without a special training … I felt nothing , just the author is very , very well-documented .
But , of course , he is one of the greatest modern writers .
All the best for you all,
Tania
July 10th, 2009 at 5:12 am
jejeje, Peter, I´m imaging you and the polar bear family
mmhh.. scorching hot days (like today in Madrid) or freezing cold and windy days (like winter in Madrid) ??
Without a doubt, I prefer hot.. and I like sunny days in winter too, it´s true: sun makes me smile
But I´d prefer Los Angeles weather!! You have to be a very happy man, Jeff!! (generous and friendly for sure)
July 10th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Jeff, Not everybody likes Sunnydays. It is a wrong assumption ,I think. I happened To know a number of people who prefer a cloudy ,temperate temprature over a sizzling,boiling summer temperature.
To me ,the whole concept of favouring ,or Unfavouring(resenting) a weather condition is very subjective. Depending on people, All the aforementioned ( above)positive effects could be attributed to a pleasent sunny days,as you mentioned, or to a relaxing ,romantic cloudy day,as other people may view,and even to a harsh,brutal, slushy winter day.
July 10th, 2009 at 11:00 am
My blog-buddies ,
Seems like ,as of today,we should thank the LA’s sun for all the extensive Lucy and Jeff’s generosity. Just imagine if they lived in at-all-time overcast cities like London.(LOL)
Thanks God they have no plans to move in one of those cities
July 10th, 2009 at 11:02 am
no plans on moving
July 11th, 2009 at 1:15 am
hi jeff,? write the first time in this blog but ? chase your podcast.? live in sunny country the name of country is turkey and my city is Antalya.Alot of german adn russian people come here as of tourist.I like the sunny days maybe ? get used to living summer area.why ? choose the summer times.Because everybody go out these days and wear the colourful things and all of time they are smiling maybe in order to come in the holiday maybe ?t must be obligation.? dont know why.but ? like these times and cloudy times ? remember the sad things also streets are more free than other days.
? send to good days from turkey:D
July 11th, 2009 at 2:31 am
I can literally feel the impact on my mood on sunny days. I’m a lot more likely to feel happy and upbeat when it’s warm outside, you don’t have to carry around your jacket and the sun makes everything shine bright. Of course it shouldn’t be too hot either, sweat and sunburn aren’t the most comfortable things in the world
July 11th, 2009 at 7:47 am
Peter, which part of Canada are you living in?
Do you know, when I was a young man I wanted to go to Canada, so I am very interested to know where you are living over there and what is your point of view about the country.
Thank you Peter, from the sunny and very hot city of Madrid best regards.
July 12th, 2009 at 5:14 am
you should live where I live, the temperature raises sometimes 108 F, I mean some sun is ok but here, is almost like an oven. and I’m sure there are some other places worse than this
July 12th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
I don´t know where do you live Rosa, but here in Spain, Andalucia, there is a city which name is Ecija where some people said
you can fry and eg over the street floor in summer. I think it is true, as when I was working in the centre of Madrid and I was out of
the Bank at 3 p.m. the street thermometers showed some days 46 º C (114 F ) being at the sun.
In winter I could see -4 º C ( 28 F) at the mornings ( 7 a.m.) and 20º C ( 68 F ) at 2 or 3 p.m in the afternoon.
Despite all this Madrid is good place to live, we are acclimatized to that extremely weather.
May be Lucy who was born in Arizona knows a lot about summer hot and cold in winter?. I think Phoenix is a very hot city too.
July 12th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Hi ! Again food , Doctor Jeff ? No ! I never go into a sandwich shop . And it smells so , so good … especially when you are hungry . All night long I dreamt eating a big , big sandwich . Next day I had to have a pizza not half and half but with chicken and some works without condiments . And such many , many E.
My low calorie diet … gone .
You still owe me a lot of calories , about 500 . Don’t forget !
Tania
July 12th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
I live in Toronto , and I have seen most part of Ontario,which is the vastest province ,I believe, Amid the 8 provinces of Canada. Toronto,the capital of Ontario, with the population of almost 5 million is the biggest ,and The most populated city throughout the country .After The New York ,Toronto Is the most cosmopolitan city around the glob. The population here is very diverse.I mean ,The existing population is formed by people from 4 corners of the world.The latest estimate shows more than 190 languages are spoken by Torontonians. Very staggering,isn’t it?
The capital of Canada is Ottawa that is Situated in Ontario,A good 5 hours drive from Toronto, easy, 5 hours. By the way ,there are two official languages spoken in Canada: French and English
In some parts people are just anglophones (speak English) , and in Some parts they are just Francophones . Literally ,in some part people cannot speak a word of English and vice versa.
Generally speaking, Canada Is very Notorious ( infamous ) For its brutal winter. And my friend , when it comes to weather condition, The name Notorious Serves it right. But On the other hand , Canada is very famous for its Intact( not touched by mankind) Nature. It is so true man. There are more than1000000 Lakes across the country with mesmerizing, and breath taking scenery( landscape). You should come and see for yourself . If you happened to be down here don’t forget to stop by at Georgian Bay. I have camped out there once,for one week. It is picturesque,exquisite my friend.It is like a piece of heaven fallen on the earth.
July 12th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
After New York
July 12th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
diversed
sorry for the typo
July 13th, 2009 at 5:11 am
I Camped Out there,
Haste makes waste,and it is one ineluctable fact
July 13th, 2009 at 6:41 am
A Good Five-hour drive ,Or easy Five-hour means : It takes you at least 5 hours to get over there by car , but it is highly likely to take you more than 5 hours to get there.
It is a good 1 hour bus ride.
I
July 13th, 2009 at 6:55 am
Hi ;
Fatima , I was in Madrid last October for 3 days then 3 days in Barcelona . I had a chance to see Real Madrid in Santiago Bernabeu it was my dream I was very lucky
)) I love Madrid more than Barcelona if someone from here thinks to go to Spain make your choice from Madrid . Don’t forget to learn Spanish words because speaking english is too low .
July 13th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
i love sunny days, and i do want to spend some time outdoor to let the sunshine help absorbed the calcium from what i eat much better. i still have the little hope to grow taller even if i have past the growing age many many years ago. T.T
you can see many women in China would take umbrella with them on the street on Sunny days, to protect from ultraviolet radiation, protect their skin from turing dark or black. i kind of lazy to put more weight into my purse, but i’m one of them who’d like to keep our skin looks white.
July 14th, 2009 at 12:23 am
Hi ! Sunny or not sunny days ? I think the atmospheric pressure is the most important .
Many people ( with cardiac or breath problems ) are dependent on the atmospheric pressure .
Even in very hot days we can feel well if the atmospheric pressure is between normal limits .
But , indeed , a sunny day gives us the feeling we are strong , we can do anything we want .
To live on the parallel of 45 degrees it is enough comfortable .
Peter , good joke with your polar bear family !
All the best for you all and I wish you a good atmospheric pressure every day ,
Tania
July 14th, 2009 at 3:33 am
Hi Fellow learners,
It is me blabbering again,
I am willing to throw in another piece of geologocal info about Canada for good measure. Do you know that Canada is so sprawlingly vast that you can fit in the whole continent of Europe betweeen Tornto and Vanouver.And,folks it is the extent of my knowledge about the subject. I am not big on Geology
of course it is a Trivial fact ,still fun to know,
Yours,
July 14th, 2009 at 9:16 am
That´s true Tania, I have headache when atmospheric pressure is going to change. I don´t know why but I know the weather is going to change
because I have headache two or three days before it´s change.
Also my sister feels the same, actually stronger headache than me what is worst for her.
It is a bad legacy as two of my daughters feels the same too.
If we talk we know when the preassure is changing and consequently the weather, because our body is feeling it.
But don´t say anything to the doctors as they don´t belive that king of things.
July 14th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Always sorry about my writting once I can read it again………”that kind of things”…I would ever know how to write propperly?. No, I think that´s not possible.
July 14th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I live in São Paulo, Brazil, and I can say that it’s an amazing fair-weather city (although it has pollution problems). But differently of most cities in Brazil, it’s almost never too hot or too cold and there are more sunny days in fall and winter than in summer.
It’s good because you don’t freeze in winter or boil in summer !
July 15th, 2009 at 4:30 am
Kemal, you make me smile (just like sun on my face
I don´t like Madrid very much, maybe just because it´s my own city, and it´s great when somebody (who is not from Madrid) says I´m wrong.. I have to say that, in my opinion, Madrid looks its best in the fall (the light is glorious and the weather not extreme)
ah, and you´re are totally right! speaking english is very very low (you see? ashamed again
that´s why I need to improve it with Jeff and Lucy!!
By the way, Kemal, where are you from?
July 16th, 2009 at 6:07 am
Hi Again ;
I am from Turkey which is around 41º C or 105º F nowadays
)) Before I came to Madrid I was in Paris for holiday also speaking english is very low there too but I really shocked at Barajas Airport when I begun to ask people English I got same answer from everyone . No English but keep talking Spanish , it was vey funny 
))) Also I am trying to improve my English , if you have msn you can add me : secreteriat@hotmail.com or from facebook : Kemal Tabak . Have a nice day , take care .
August 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 am
It’s right that people tend to become more positive on sunshine day.
On the contrary, we can think about the countries where are located around the equator.
Because they’re normally poorer than countries located in 30 to 45 degrees like New York, London & Tokyo
even including China.
Although sunshine days can gurantee people to be happy,
the likelyhood of the gap between rich & poor is likely to be severe.