MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WPDE) - The third Monday in January, also known by some as "Blue Monday," is supposedly the most depressing day of the year. So is it fact or fiction?
The story goes that on this day people are depressed because they are dealing with failed New Years resolutions, it's winter, and the Christmas holiday high is gone.
"I have great news and the great news is that Blue Monday is not real. It exists in our imagination and in the Twitter world and things like that," said Dr. John Charles with Grand Strand Regional Medical Center. "I would say that it is completely false, untrue, and not legitimate."
The concept of Blue Monday began with an article written by a man in Wales and it's thrived on the internet ever since.
"He published this paper for this TV travel channel and all the academic people in the country in America looked at it very briefly and said well this is just nuts. It doesn't have any scientific validity. And I've looked at his calculations too and they really are outside the world of possibility of assigning a particular day as the most depressing day," explained Dr. Charles.
One thing that's not blue today are people's spirits on the Boardwalk in Myrtle Beach.
Nancy Diggs is feeling happy, "today I'm feeling great, matter fact I feel good like James Brown. Most of all it's a holiday and I just love holidays."
"I feel like a million dollars. I'm out of the snow, Myrtle Beach, pretty women what else?" added Kenneth Taylor of Johnson City, Tennessee.
While there's no scientific basis for Blue Monday, health experts do say some people can feel a little less chipper this time of year. But the remedy is as simple as getting exercise and spending time outside.
Diggs agreed, "you have to encourage yourself on a daily basis, always feel good about yourself any day of the week."
Dr. Charles says people shouldn't buy into the existence of Blue Monday and it most certainly shouldn't be confused with seasonal affective disorder.
