Too much sunny weather = depression?

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

Well, weather is subjective, of course. And if you spent your whole life in,say, Michigan, you might really be awed by the southwestern sun. Others crave clouds and variability. I am in the latter camp. I really don't like to much of any kind of weather. I love four seasons, and I only get dissatisfied with the weather when it is monotonous. That means winter here in Oregon, where we can get rain and clouds for weeks on end. And then again in summer, when blazing sun can run for weeks. Spring and fall are great. Although everyone raves about So. Cal. climate, I really hated it when I lived there. Too much sun (and smog) and too little variation. While I know of no syndrome to describe linking depression to too much sun, as opposed to SAD, it does not seem too crazy.

It would seem that excessive sun and heat could foster depression by indirect means. For instance, if you love jogging after work, but it is too hot, one of your coping mechanisms would be compromised. Likewise, if you find sunshine and heat keeping you indoors when you love hiking or gardening, another means. Also, you might just find the relentless stream of sunny days to be boring, which can cause listlessness after a while. All these could probably be coped with in various ways, but seem real nonetheless.

Personally, I know at least one person who moved from the Pacific Northwest to NM, and found it to be too much sun. He moved to Colorado. I know that the only time I really want sun is in midwinter when days are so short. The rest of the year I take the sun, cloud, rain, snow as it comes.

I agree that no one likes monotony. Change is always desired. However, the difference is people prefer change under their terms That's what you get in Phoenix. In the summer, you can drive 1.5-2 hours up north and get away from the heat for the weekend. In places like Oregon, you can't make a similarly quick drive and experience warm tropical weather. In the winter in Phoenix, if you want to go snow skiing and experience snow, there are multiple places you can go to. In the winter in most cities, you can't drive 2 hours and experience warm weather on the weekend. I go skiing at least twice a year each winter and I get my fill of the snow. It's always fun initially but on the way home, it's nice to get back to 70 degree weather after snow skiing in the mountains up north.