00:00Blue Monday is a term used to describe what's supposedly the most depressing day of the year.
00:04It falls on the third Monday in January every year.
00:07The idea dates back to 2004, when psychologist Cliff Arnal was asked to come up with a so-called scientific formula for the January blues.
00:15But it wasn't for academic research.
00:17It was part of a PR campaign by a travel company looking to sell more holidays.
00:21The formula claimed to calculate low mood using factors like poor weather, lack of motivation and the post-holiday slump.
00:27However, Arnal later made a complete U-turn, telling the Daily Telegraph that the idea of Blue Monday had become a self-fulfilling prophecy and urging Britons to refute the whole notion.
00:37Today, the general consensus is clear.
00:39There's nothing scientific about Blue Monday.
00:41Mental health charities and scientists have repeatedly dismissed it as pseudoscience or simply a marketing stunt.
00:47Despite that, many brands continue to capitalise on it.
00:50Dozens of companies this year are running Blue Monday promotions throughout the whole of January.
00:54Charity Manchester Mind has warned, however, that this concept trivialises depression, which, as they highlight, is clearly not a one-day occurrence.
01:02That said, some organisations have chosen to reclaim Blue Monday as an opportunity to raise awareness about mental health, particularly seasonal affective disorder or SAD.
01:10SAD is a form of depression that follows a seasonal pattern, often worsening during the darker winter months when daylight levels are lower.
01:16The Mental Health Foundation says that perhaps the real meaning of Blue Monday is a reminder that we all have mental health and that there are steps we can take every day of the year to protect it.
