Incase you hadn’t noticed, I’m a little bit obsessed with the sun. And I know this is mostly as a result of living in Scotland…where its beauty really is a rare sight.
Don’t believe me?
The sun is so rare a sight in Scotland, that we’ve had to make our own website to tell us whether it’s hot enough to strip our clothes off.
Known as ‘Taps Aff‘ (literally meaning ‘tops off’) it’s our go to source for when the sky looks a little bit blue, and we need some guidance on acceptable levels of nudity.
…I wish I was joking.
I just feel better when the sun is out!
I don’t know about you, but the sun being out just totally lifts my mood, and everything I do, see, taste, touch and hear all just seems generally better.
I physically feel better as well. Somehow I feel thinner, my skin (I think) looks better. I feel more comfortable in the clothes I’m wearing. I feel I walk taller. I smile more. I feel more confident. It’s just bloody brilliant.
But why does this happen?
Luckily for you, I’ve been doing a bit of research, and it turns out there actually is some science behind why we might feel this way…
An increase in Serotonin
At a very basic level, exposure to sunlight boosts the Serotonin levels in your body. Often known as the ‘happiness hormone,’ high levels of Serotonin can make you calm and alert, and helps with sleeping, eating, digestion and your overall mood.
What’s not to love?
In fact, a widely used antidepressant, SSRI (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), works by increasing Serotonin levels in the brain.
Vitamin D
We’ve also got the sun giving us lots of vitamin D. While we are always told to be cautious of too much exposure to the sun (like me I’m sure you can still hear your mother shouting at you every time you came out of the pool on holiday to put more sun cream on…), a little bit of sunshine every day is actually great for your health!
Vitamin D helps absorb calcium, which is needed for healthy bones, muscles and teeth. And if you’re muscles and bones are feeling healthy….then you can be damn sure you will just generally feel healthier. Stronger bones will keep you upright, making you walk taller and maybe even give you a bit more energy.
There is an element of psychology too…
When the weather is nice, we are far more likely to go outside and be active, do activities we enjoy with people we really like, so it then just makes us associate the sunshine with happiness.
What’s more, particularly in Scotland, we usually associate good weather with the summer holidays, time off work, and actually being abroad… basically precious leisure time! So when the sun comes out, we are more likely to associate it with this.
Being on holiday is a happy time and something we often work really hard for throughout the year, so when the sun comes out, we immediately feel a desire to unwind and enjoy some well deserved time off.
Some of us also feel we eat better when the sun is out
I don’t know about you, but I also feel I generally eat a lot better when the sun is out. I’m less likely to crave heavy, hearty, salty foods in the summer months. Instead I want fresh fruit, salads and other high energy foods more often (Not always of course before any of my friends jump in and remind me they’ve never ever ever ever seen me eat a salad…bastards)
It turns out I’m not alone in this, and that many people do in fact feel the same. One reason this could be is that when it is hot, our body tries to regulate our body temperature by cutting down on heat generating functions, like digestion.
Basically in winter months as well, your body needs to work harder and needs more energy to keep warm, so with food being our source of energy, you feel you need more of it.
So there you have it, some evidence to show that the sun might actually be having a bigger impact on your mood and health than you think…
…I’m just glad to hear I’m not alone in how much it impacts me!
Cara.
Cara Mia 