Tips for southerner moving to Pitt. (Pittsburgh, Altoona: transporting, to buy, college)

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

I don't think I have SAD, but like all humans I do affected by the lack of sunlight (we all need some good ol' vitamin D). I start feeling lethargic and lazy on a physical level and wiped on a mental level. When the some sun does actually appear, I feel better especially since I get tired of looking at gray all the damn time.

I also hypothesize that building a city in the middle of a place that lacks sunlight influences the social behavior over its citizens over time. Ever wonder why Yinzers are so "it is what it is" over everything? Why so women seem to be hardened smokers and drinkers? Why we don't care about fashion and other "flashy" things? You have to wonder what generations of vitamin D deficient people could do to a culture, someone should do a study on it (or BrianTH could just search the depths of the internet for one).

I know I have SAD, and I've been sad since Saturday. I don't feel lazy, necessarily, but I don't really want to do anything but sleep. I don't want to be awake, or alive.

Will it help me to take Vitamin D?

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by jay5835

I know I have SAD, and I've been sad since Saturday. I don't feel lazy, necessarily, but I don't really want to do anything but sleep. I don't want to be awake, or alive.

Will it help me to take Vitamin D?

According to the WebMD's of the world (aka take with a grain of salt) taking Vitamin D should help. Even it doesn't help with SAD, having some extra vitamin D would be good for nearly all of us. I wonder if I should start taking some myself.

[Picksburg Stillers]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

I also hypothesize that building a city in the middle of a place that lacks sunlight influences the social behavior over its citizens over time. Ever wonder why Yinzers are so "it is what it is" over everything? Why so women seem to be hardened smokers and drinkers? Why we don't care about fashion and other "flashy" things? You have to wonder what generations of vitamin D deficient people could do to a culture, someone should do a study on it (or BrianTH could just search the depths of the internet for one).

Pittsburgh: 2,023.6 average sunlight hours/year
Milan: 1,915.1
Paris: 1,630
Berlin: 1,625.6
Amsterdam: 1,601
London: 1,460.2

I'd say your hypothesis is wrong.

[Sealtite]

Originally Posted by Picksburg Stillers

Pittsburgh: 2,023.6 average sunlight hours/year
Milan: 1,915.1
Paris: 1,630
Berlin: 1,625.6
Amsterdam: 1,601
London: 1,460.2

I'd say your hypothesis is wrong.

Those places are pretty nasty. Americans have a skewed sense of some of the European cities. Like their streets are squeaky clean and paved with emeralds or something. Then when you actually get there.....it's totally different.

[Sealtite]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Ever wonder why Yinzers are so "it is what it is" over everything? Why so women seem to be hardened smokers and drinkers? Why we don't care about fashion and other "flashy" things? You have to wonder what generations of vitamin D deficient people could do to a culture

You'd think that people in Portland, Vancouver, and Seattle would be similar...but they aren't. I dunno what makes Yinzers the way they are, but if it's the weather....it's only a part of it. The rest is a mystery to me.

That's so true about the women being hardcore smokers and drinkers. A lot of the guys there find that to be totally acceptable too.

[Picksburg Stillers]

Originally Posted by Sealtite

Those places are pretty nasty. Americans have a skewed sense of some of the European cities. Like their streets are squeaky clean and paved with emeralds or something. Then when you actually get there.....it's totally different.

What does the cleanliness of streets have to do with the post I was responding to? Would you characterize Paris, London, and Berlin as being full of people with a defeatist attitude of "it is what it is"? Would you say that Milan and Paris are cities where the people don't care about fashion and other flashy things? But if street cleanliness is a big issue for you, I would point out that Zurich and Geneva also get less sunlight than Pittsburgh.

[ex-burgher]

The best way to combat SAD is through daily exercise, preferably outside or at least in natural light. Even in the cold weather, it is possible to take walks and engage in other outdoor activities. Caffeine also helps improve your mood if you don't use it already. There are light therapy machines as well - but people I know who use them are not convinced about them.

[mike02]

Originally Posted by Picksburg Stillers

Pittsburgh: 2,023.6 average sunlight hours/year
Milan: 1,915.1
Paris: 1,630
Berlin: 1,625.6
Amsterdam: 1,601
London: 1,460.2

I'd say your hypothesis is wrong.

Even in the U.S., Pittsburgh isn't alone in the "cloudiness" category (Seattle, Portland, Cleveland, Buffalo, Columbus, Syracuse, Rochester, etc.). I always hypothesized possible air quality and pollution that racks up the cloudy days. People say it's because we're on the windward side of the Appalachians, BUT if you looked at the weather yesterday, Ebensburg, PA (literally on the windward side of the Appalachians) was bathed in sunshine. Pittsburgh is a good distance away from the nasty "windward effects" like Johnstown, Ebensburg, Altoona, etc. and all of those cities were mostly sunny and partly cloudy yesterday. So, I'm still not sure why it was suppose to be mostly sunny in Pgh yesterday and ended up complete overcast til 3:30? All the cities along the Great Lakes and all of Ohio, WV, NY and PA (except here) were sunny most of the day yesterday. My conclusion = maybe air quality?

I'd also like to add that while I hate the winter cloudiness, I accept it as part of the season. OTOH, I get very aggravated and p****d off when we experience "winter-like cloudiness" outside winter (e.g. the past 5 days!).

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by Sealtite

You'd think that people in Portland, Vancouver, and Seattle would be similar...but they aren't. I dunno what makes Yinzers the way they are, but if it's the weather....it's only a part of it. The rest is a mystery to me.

Indeed, it is a mystery. I obviously can't say it all hinges on lack of sunlight but you have to wonder if it does play a role in how people act.

For the record I have visited some of those cities and they do share some sore of "eh... whatever" vibe that Pittsburgh has. Hell the French invented laissez-faire.

[Tinare]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

According to the WebMD's of the world (aka take with a grain of salt) taking Vitamin D should help. Even it doesn't help with SAD, having some extra vitamin D would be good for nearly all of us. I wonder if I should start taking some myself.

Dr. Oz (also take with a grain of salt) on one of his shows said that everyone north of a line from Atlanta to just north of LA should take Vitamin D since basically nowhere north of there gets enough strong, consistent sunlight.