It’s Blue Monday, which is, supposedly, the saddest day of the year.
But Saatchi & Saatchi and supplement brand Solgar have joined forces for a one-day campaign to blast those blues away with a “fleet” of “sunlight-inspired light emitting billboards” that will be rolled out across Birmingham, Manchester and London.
The billboards will not only look like giant SAD lamps, but they will work like them too, as the light they are emitting is reportedly at a level that can actually help to boost serotonin (a natural chemical in humans that helps to improve mood).
So between 4pm and 8pm, passers-by will be invited to bask in the billboards’ so-called rays.
The SAD screens in London can be found at London’s Westfield, Deansgate, and Exchange Square Market Street East.
In Manchester, the screens will be located at Piccadilly Gardens and Printworks, and in Birmingham they will be at Corporation Street, High Street, Ladywell Walk, New Street and Smallbrook Queensway.
Blue Monday is a concept that was thought up by a travel company almost two decades ago: it was chosen because of the combination of the weather in the northern hemisphere in mid-January, the distance the day falls between Christmas and spring, the ongoing long and dark evenings, and many people’s reported low motivation levels, particularly after new year resolutions have been broken.
And so, while there does not seem to be any solid scientific basis for Blue Monday, it certainly feels like one of the worst days of the year.
SAD stands for seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression which correlates with the seasons (the large proportion of people with SAD become depressed in winter, but not all).
The darkness of winter makes most people feel a little low, but for people who have SAD, the drop in sunlight causes an actual depression. This depression usually takes place at the same time every year, and to try and combat it, often people with SAD use specially designed lamps, which emit a high enough level of light to simulate sunlight.
“Some people with SAD find that light therapy can help improve their mood considerably,” says the NHS, which says users sit near a light box for 30 minutes to an hour every morning. When humans are exposed to the sun, their brains produce serotonin, which is later turned into melatonin (the natural hormone that helps you to sleep), thus the light boxes are there to help SAD suffers feel better, and sleep better.
