Is ‘Blue Monday’ Really the Most Depressing Day of the Year?

hit the hardest at the start of the new year, you’re not alone: The post-holiday comedown is certainly real. But does that mean “Blue Monday” is the saddest day of the year?

That’s up for debate.Coined in 2005 by UK travel company Sky Travel, the term Blue Monday typically refers to the third Monday of each January (in 2024, that’s January 15).

The company’s findings, shared via press release, concluded that, based on an arbitrary equation utilizing factors like weather, , and amount of time since the holidays and , levels of “happiness” were lowest on the third Monday of the month.Unsurprisingly, there was backlash.

Not only could no two people agree on when Blue Monday actually was—many point to the month’s second and fourth Mondays as worthy contenders for the title (in 2024, that’s January 8 and 22)—but experts assert that the whole thing is basically bogus.“Blue Monday was a marketing gimmick created by a travel company who asked a psychologist to develop a ‘depression formula’ to find the most depressing day of the year,” , a psychiatrist with , tells Glamour. “However, it is not possible to create a formula for depression that can be generalized to everyone.”Instead of feeling pressure to make and stick to toxic New Year's resolutions, think about setting smart goals for yourself that could result in long-term success, less guilt, and a more fulfilling 2024.By “There is nothing to say that the days that fall before or after are more or less depressing for us all,” Dr.