蓝色星期一

你最不喜欢一周中的哪一天？哪一天最难熬？ 很多人的回答可能都是 “星期一”。一周的开始意味着快乐的周末已经结束，新一周的工作学习也已经展开。

Ask most people which day of the week they dread the most and the answer is likely to be Monday. The first day of the week can make us grouchy and depressed, which is why the feeling is described as the Monday blues. But what is it exactly that makes us feel down and does it affect everyone?

Apparently, the most depressing day of the year is the third Monday in January, when it's cold and dark outside. This day was nicknamed 'Blue Monday' by psychologist Cliff Arnall in 2004. He came up with it after a holiday company asked him for a 'scientific formula' for the January blues.

Even if there was little science behind the formula, it's probably true that the sound of our alarm clock on any Monday morning signals the dawning of a new week and possibly the end of our weekend of fun. Research shows our Monday mood can be based on a direct comparison to the day before. It's what psychologists call an emotional shift, and no other part of the week has a transition like it. 

Monday means the end of weekend lie-ins – it's back to the routine and the realisation that there are five days ahead of the nine-to-five, and according to the BBC Bitesize website "If you can't stand your job then the Monday blues can be very real." And your miserable Monday is followed by trying Tuesday – the most popular day for sending out job applications.

But is Monday as bad as we like to think it is? Feeling a bit low shouldn't be confused with more serious depression, caused by other factors. Writing for the BBC, author and presenter Claudia Hammond, argues that this low feeling might be a myth. She says: "There is a strong cultural idea that we don't like Mondays." She mentions an Australian study in 2008 about how people reflected on their mood and found the day that scored the lowest was in fact Wednesdays. So, when Monday comes, maybe we should give it a second chance!