4 ms·

>>But sunshine after sunshine is correlated with nothing. >> Because if every day was warm and sunny, you would get use to it. That seems really really wrong.

>>But sunshine after sunshine is correlated with nothing. >> Because if every day was warm and sunny, you would get use to it. That seems really really wrong. I see they cite studies but it just finally got warm and sunny here after a long cold winter and it feels, well, happy :-) Maybe, just maybe, if it was sunny all the time I'd get used to it. But some days wouldn't be sunny, or I'd travel someplace with no sun, or people would visit and say how awesome the weather is... I dunno, I'd be reminded all the time how awesome it is. Or I'd complain because there's no rain and everything is dry and dead and we're running out of water... damn hedonic treadmill.

anon4 11y ago
Lousy weather after lousy weather is correlated with an increase in suicides (look at the statistics for Norway). So he is right, in a way. The same way that breathing clean air and drinking clean water isn't correlated with anything.
RangerScience 11y ago
I live in LA. The last time I noticed myself wanting a change in the weather was a rare day when it was overcast AND I was bored. I realized that it wasn't that I wanted more interesting weather, it was that I was bored, and interesting weather is interesting. Most days I have at least one moment where I love the weather.
outworlder 11y ago
It's not wrong. I've lived very close to the equator for a couple of decades. I never had to care about weather forecasts at all, because I alway knew what the weather would be like: 30 degrees celsius (86F), +/- a couple of degrees. Sunny. Too hot under direct sunlight, but completely fine under a tree shade even at noon. If anything, you get fed up with the single season and will welcome rainy days. There is this mountain nearby that was hugely popular because it was a few degrees colder. So I guess even nice beaches under perfect weather get boring, given enough time.
sliverstorm 11y ago
Where I live, everyone celebrates the start of winter (because they're tired of summer), and then then start of summer (because they're tired of winter). My favorite part of winter is, a warm fire literally never feels better than when it's freezing outside.
npsimons 11y ago
> That seems really really wrong. I see they cite studies but it just finally got warm and sunny here after a long cold winter and it feels, well, happy :-) Maybe, just maybe, if it was sunny all the time I'd get used to it. I live somewhere where it's sunny almost all the time. I grew up somewhere where it's sunny almost all the time. I still love going outside into the sunlight for a break.
pmarreck 11y ago
I grew up in the Northeast US (New York suburbs) but spent 4 years in California. People practically do not care about the sun at all in SoCal... because it is always sunny. It ended up feeling very strange to my brain... I missed the "rhythm" of seasons to mark the passage of time... I felt like I was drifting in a vacation I couldn't escape. I ended up coming back to NYC :) And now I appreciate the spring, fall, and winter here more, to boot!
shostack 11y ago
Moved to the Peninsula from Chicago a couple years ago after becoming increasingly fed up with and depressed by winter (despite trying to "medicate" with a full-spectrum lamp). Everyone I knew commented on how much happier I seemed. Sure some of that may have been job-related, but it is amazing how much I notice it every day, even a couple years later now. The most noticeable thing for me in my day-to-day is that I no longer feel guilty during nice days when I just want to chill inside and play a computer game or something. In Chicago, since there were only a handful of truly gorgeous days per year, I'd have immense guilt. The flip side is that I need to motivate myself more to go outdoors, but because I can garden pretty much year round, I have an enjoyable hobby that keeps me outside. Sure, some days I get a bit tired of the sun (particularly when we have heat waves), but the lack of humidity means I can usually hide in the shade and be fine, which can't be said of Chicago in it's 100% humidity summers. I'm not sure if I'll ever get to a point where I take it for granted because it energizes me. However I do appreciate and look forward to a good rainy day which we rarely get. I even sat outside on my deck in the rain at one point because it felt so nice. Honestly--I don't miss winter. If I want snow I'll drive to Tahoe. We get a gorgeous extended fall, and those three are enough seasons for me. I'm fortunate to commute on 280 (vs. 101) and driving home in the evening I get to watch the hills go from a peaceful lush green in the winter/spring to a glowing gold in the summer and fall as the sunset lights them up. It really is something to watch the landscape change like that, and I certainly don't miss the ugly stage of black slush and dangerous white out conditions I lived through in Chicago.
- rconti 11y ago
  Same, but from Seattle. Maybe it's just those of us who are broken, but I'm immensely happier when it's sunny. I'll grant you, I find reasons to be grumpy sometimes when it's nice out (too damn hot, no AC in the house, whatever), but overall I'm vastly happier. Anyone who knows me would say the same. The thrill of a really nice day is gone, but on balance my situation is improved. Not only that, but after a decade or so, I've come to even appreciate the rare grey or rainy day for what it reminds me of, rather than kicking off a cycle of despair.
  - shostack 11y ago

anon4 11y ago

Lousy weather after lousy weather is correlated with an increase in suicides (look at the statistics for Norway). So he is right, in a way. The same way that breathing clean air and drinking clean water isn't correlated with anything.

RangerScience 11y ago

I live in LA. The last time I noticed myself wanting a change in the weather was a rare day when it was overcast AND I was bored. I realized that it wasn't that I wanted more interesting weather, it was that I was bored, and interesting weather is interesting. Most days I have at least one moment where I love the weather.

outworlder 11y ago

It's not wrong. I've lived very close to the equator for a couple of decades. I never had to care about weather forecasts at all, because I alway knew what the weather would be like: 30 degrees celsius (86F), +/- a couple of degrees. Sunny. Too hot under direct sunlight, but completely fine under a tree shade even at noon. If anything, you get fed up with the single season and will welcome rainy days. There is this mountain nearby that was hugely popular because it was a few degrees colder. So I guess even nice beaches under perfect weather get boring, given enough time.

sliverstorm 11y ago

Where I live, everyone celebrates the start of winter (because they're tired of summer), and then then start of summer (because they're tired of winter). My favorite part of winter is, a warm fire literally never feels better than when it's freezing outside.

npsimons 11y ago

> That seems really really wrong. I see they cite studies but it just finally got warm and sunny here after a long cold winter and it feels, well, happy :-) Maybe, just maybe, if it was sunny all the time I'd get used to it. I live somewhere where it's sunny almost all the time. I grew up somewhere where it's sunny almost all the time. I still love going outside into the sunlight for a break.

pmarreck 11y ago

I grew up in the Northeast US (New York suburbs) but spent 4 years in California. People practically do not care about the sun at all in SoCal... because it is always sunny. It ended up feeling very strange to my brain... I missed the "rhythm" of seasons to mark the passage of time... I felt like I was drifting in a vacation I couldn't escape. I ended up coming back to NYC :) And now I appreciate the spring, fall, and winter here more, to boot!

shostack 11y ago

Moved to the Peninsula from Chicago a couple years ago after becoming increasingly fed up with and depressed by winter (despite trying to "medicate" with a full-spectrum lamp). Everyone I knew commented on how much happier I seemed. Sure some of that may have been job-related, but it is amazing how much I notice it every day, even a couple years later now. The most noticeable thing for me in my day-to-day is that I no longer feel guilty during nice days when I just want to chill inside and play a computer game or something. In Chicago, since there were only a handful of truly gorgeous days per year, I'd have immense guilt. The flip side is that I need to motivate myself more to go outdoors, but because I can garden pretty much year round, I have an enjoyable hobby that keeps me outside. Sure, some days I get a bit tired of the sun (particularly when we have heat waves), but the lack of humidity means I can usually hide in the shade and be fine, which can't be said of Chicago in it's 100% humidity summers. I'm not sure if I'll ever get to a point where I take it for granted because it energizes me. However I do appreciate and look forward to a good rainy day which we rarely get. I even sat outside on my deck in the rain at one point because it felt so nice. Honestly--I don't miss winter. If I want snow I'll drive to Tahoe. We get a gorgeous extended fall, and those three are enough seasons for me. I'm fortunate to commute on 280 (vs. 101) and driving home in the evening I get to watch the hills go from a peaceful lush green in the winter/spring to a glowing gold in the summer and fall as the sunset lights them up. It really is something to watch the landscape change like that, and I certainly don't miss the ugly stage of black slush and dangerous white out conditions I lived through in Chicago.

rconti 11y ago
Same, but from Seattle. Maybe it's just those of us who are broken, but I'm immensely happier when it's sunny. I'll grant you, I find reasons to be grumpy sometimes when it's nice out (too damn hot, no AC in the house, whatever), but overall I'm vastly happier. Anyone who knows me would say the same. The thrill of a really nice day is gone, but on balance my situation is improved. Not only that, but after a decade or so, I've come to even appreciate the rare grey or rainy day for what it reminds me of, rather than kicking off a cycle of despair.
- shostack 11y ago