This was just something I was thinking of recently. What exactly can affect your mood? Why does it?
So I thought it may be a fun as well as a good idea to begin thread on it. I’m not sure if the location of this thread is appropriate and I apologize if I’m in the wrong.

There can be many factors which affect our moods. I’ll go through the ones that I could think of now – but I’m more than sure there ones that I have not yet thought about yet. So bear with me.

Factors which may indeed contribute to our moods:

Weather.
Light.
Food.
Colour.
Exercise.

:: Weather ::

I heard of this before, weather being one of the contributors to our moods. It tends to be you get cranky in severe heat. Depressed in cold and rainy weather. So rather fittingly the two polar opposites give us two completely different moods.
So the question is… can weather actually really affect our mood? I personally find this to be a rather intriguing topic – many a time have I actually mulled over this question in my head. Apparently I was not the only one to have done so (what a surprise!), as scientists as well as sociologists have been studying this theory.
Speaking from personal experience… when out side and the temperatures rise above a ‘comfortable’ level I do begin to get irritable. I grumble, I moan and all I can think of is getting cooler again. That being said, I also have to say when its cold, wet and dreary I don’t necessarily feel depressed or down. Why is that? However I can get a it melancholy… but I admittedly never put it down to the ‘weather’.
So basically the question is, is there any substantial evidence to connecting our moods to the weather.
There are actually studies which can link that weather with particularly long periods of high temperatures may result in… an increase in crime. Now that I wasn’t expecting, but apparently studies have shown this! It is believed that with the unusual heat we the people get more irritable and hostile.
Several law enforcement agencies hold statistics that can show a correlation between the two. For me I guess it is slightly plausible – for I know in the hot heat I do get more irritable.
Not only this, but there is a medically recognized illness related to weather. Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD. SAD is a condition characterized by depression during those long winter months when… there is a decrease in sunlight.
This leads me onto the next contributor to moods.

:: Light ::

Moving on from weather to light! It is known that light can also affect the mood you are in. It is said that the lighting in the room you are in is a ‘type of sensory stimulation’ that in turn influences your performance AND mood.
It is able to increase as well as decrease productive mental activity. Perhaps I should blame the lighting in my room to my procrastination… ^~
According to a Doctor Howard “Light affects mood and alertness by shutting down the production of melatonin, the sleep inducer. Because alertness is important for safety and productivity, the work environment should be well lit.”
Darkness or low lighting releases ‘Melatonin’. This basically is something to increase your feeling of sleepiness! (And the question to why we switch off our lights at night is answered!)
Artificial lighting isn’t the only thing that can affect moods. Sunlight can too. Sunlight is actually a mood enhancer – it can increase both your creativity and productivity! As I mentioned in ‘Weather’, in the winter months some people can suffer from the illness known as SAD – which is from the decrease in natural sunlight and can cause depression.

:: Food ::

The next one on the list is food. We all know about comfort foods – and more often than not they are incredibly bad for us! That being said, more often than not they do help how we feel. In a word. Chocolate. ^~.
Meanwhile, scientists are in fact proving that what’s in the foods we eat can affect the chemical composition of our brain. This in turn means, the food we eat can affect our mood and many others things as a matter of fact.
For example, if you would desire to boost your alertness, the consumption of proteins is recommended. Protein food is broken into their amino acid components (yay science!) during the process of digestion. Science moment incoming:
One amino acid, known as Tyrosine, is able to increase the production of Dopamine, Norepinephrine and Epinephrine. These particular neurotransmitters are used for their ability to increase levels of alertness and energy! Hence protein drinks for exercise.
Another example would be if you would prefer to be in a mood for relaxation and no stress (perfect for exam time!) then you should eat good old carbohydrates!
By eating carbohydrates this in turn triggers a release of insulin. Not only can carbs relax us but it is said that they can have the effect of reducing pain, decreasing appetite and make you sleepy! Research that has been carried out has shown that people on diets become ‘depressed’ around two weeks into the diet due to the fact that they have reduced the carbohydrate intake. Happy food = Carbs ^~. Of course many people assume carbs to be stuff like pasta and potato, fruits too are a carb if you’re looking for a happy boost.

:: Colour ::
Colours can also contribute to what mood we are in. Isn’t it true that more often than not you put on the colour clothes that you ‘feel’. Apparently colours do indeed help us in a mood. Different colours have proven to give different results. I’ll use a couple as examples!
Black: Black is the colour of power and authourity! I guess you could say this colour is abused. Not many people wear it because it’s the colour they ‘feel’ but to appear thinner. This colour can be overpowering and for this reason, it is why many villains wear the colour black! (Sephiroth, Dracula… you know xD)
Red: This is known to be the most emotionally intense colour. Red is able to stimulate a faster heartbeat and faster breathing. It can otherwise be known as… the colour of love! So this a rather energetic mood inducing colour I guess you could say.
Blue: The colour blue causes the opposite mood to red. It’s the olour of the sky… the ocean… If you take a peaceful, tranquil blue it can cause the body to release calming chemicals. But, it can make you feel cold and depressed if the wrong shade is used! Research has also shown us that people tend to be more productive in blue rooms… not only that but other studies have shown us that weightlifters are able to lift heavier weights in blue gyms! How about that xD.
Yellow: Last colour I’ll use I promise! If a cheerful sunny yellow is used it can be a great attention grabber! While it is considered to be a more positive colour it has some other results… People tend to lose their temper more often in yellow rooms and it causes babies to cry more! Despite the cons, it can also aid concentration and is can speed up metabolism. Bring on the yellow!

:: Exercise ::

First off… it has been shown that exercise can boost your mood. So how does it do this? How indeed! I shall go into it.
When exercising a process of ‘aerobic exercise’ will take place thus prompting a release of mood-lifting hormones! These hormones can relieve stress and also give you a sense of well-being. There are also certain sports such as Yoga that allow you to unwind and combat those negative emotions. Pew pew!
It is also said that exercise can help to ward off depression AND also be an effective treatment for some cases of depression too. A previous studies have concluded that regular exercise can actually improve people’s mood with depression.
So not only does exercise keep us fit, but it also keeps us happy.

I will stop here. But there are areas I haven’t covered… Hormones, Music… the list goes on!
So discuss here your thoughts on the matter. Do you believe that things can affect your mood or not?