Wednesday ‘most depressing day’

If you’re feeling blue today, you’re not alone. Researchers have discovered that our moods are lowest on Wednesdays, not Mondays as commonly thought.

Research from the University of Sydney found that although people predicted feeling lowest on Mondays and best on Fridays and Saturdays, in fact moods remain largely consistent through the week.

Professor Charles Areni from the University of Sydney, who carried out the study, said:

"Day-of-the-week stereotypes like Monday morning blues and Thank God It's Friday (TGIF) are largely illusions.

“Monday mornings were not the low point of the week, and although Friday and Saturday evenings were associated with positive moods, they were no better than moods reported on Tuesdays.”

He added: “As it turned out, the low point of the week in our data was Wednesday, not Monday."

Professor Areni said the illusion that mood is affected by the days of the week stems from a cultural belief that people are happier when they are completely free to choose their activities, and not being constrained by work or timetables.

Society has therefore led to our expectation of Mondays being depressing and Fridays being uplifting, the research concluded.