Poll: Nearly 40% of US residents deal with declining mood in winter

According to a recently released survey, 38% of Americans revealed their overall mood declines in the winter but added that traditions related to the upcoming holidays impacts their mood positively.

Results of the latest Healthy Minds Poll from the American Psychiatric Association, which was conducted online by Morning Consult from Oct. 19-21 among 2,211 U.S. adults, found that 24% of Americans report that they generally feel depressed in the winter.

Nonetheless, 44% of respondents said they look forward to spending time with friends and family during the holidays and 49% acknowledged that enjoying good food improves their mood.

The poll additionally found that women (41%) were more likely than men (34%) to say their mood declined in the winter, as were those from rural areas (46%) compared with suburbanites (38%) and urban dwellers (31%).

Residents of the Northeast (47%) and Midwest (49%) were more likely to report worsening moods than those in the South (35%) and West (26%). Within the home, the poll revealed that moms (44%) were more likely than dads (31%) say their mood declined.

“Cold, dark weather can have a real impact on our mood,” APA President Rebecca W. Brendel, MD, JD, said in the release. “Especially in northern areas of the country, where winter lasts for several months, it’s important to keep tabs on our mood and to seek help if sadness or other symptoms become overwhelming.”

When asked about daylight saving time, 57% of those polled responded that the time change didn’t affect their mental health, but 25% reported a negative impact while 18% said it had a positive impact.

With the clocks changing to standard time throughout most of the country for the next several months, the diminishing of sunlight hours in places like the Northeast and Pacific Northwest can lead to seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Almost half (49%) of poll respondents said they had heard or read about the issue, just over half (52%) gauged the symptoms of SAD as serious as depression, while 35% offered SAD was less serious than depression. About half of adults (49%) who responded said they would know how to find treatment for SAD, including 50% of white adults, 44% of Hispanic adults and 41% of Black adults.

“Seasonal affective disorder is more than just the winter blues, and people need to be aware that if they’re having depression symptoms specifically during these months, it’s a medical disorder for which they can get help,” APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, said in the release.