Mondays Are More Depressing Than We Thought, Says Study

If you had trouble waking up this morning, you are not alone. And if you are struggling to find a reason to smile, that's not uncommon either.

According to researchers, Monday mornings are so depressing that, on average, we don't crack our first smile until 11:16 a.m., reports The Telegraph.

The study by Marmite, the British food spread, also found that half of employees will be late to work, and will only log about three-and-a-half hours of productive work time.

Experts told The Mirror that our hatred of Mondays is seated in "deep-rooted" tribal instincts. After the weekend, workers need to reconnect to the "tribe" through chatting and spending time in communal areas.

Clinical psychologist Professor Alex Gardner told the paper:

Work could be the best place for you on Monday because we are essentially cavemen in city suits. We want to feel part of the tribe so we go for a cup of tea catch up and then settle down to work. Having done the tribal bonding, we are geared up for a productive week while some people who have started all guns blazing on a Monday morning may burn themselves out.

Yet other studies have found that it's Sunday, not Monday, that is the most depressing day of the week. In 2009, a study by researchers at the University of Gothenburg and Institute for the Study of Labor found that Sunday is the darkest day of the week in Germany, where individuals reported the lowest level of subjective well-being.

And according to The New Republic, data pulled from the 2008 wave of the General Social Survey found that Americans also were least likely to report being happy on Sundays.

Since we have to endure Mondays each and every week, it's important to identify ways to make the most of our emotional health. The Telegraph reports that according to the Marmite study, the best way to beat those Monday blues is by indulging in activities like watching television, having sex, online shopping, buying chocolate or make-up, or planning a holiday.

Comments

[johnsopinion]

12:09 AM on 07/28/2011

I've never understood the belief behind the title.
I do certain things on Tuesdays.
I do other things on Thursdays.
I do still other things on Saturday,
and I do still other things on Sunday.
Monday is just another day in which I do still other things.
(I'm a routine person.)
No one Day of The Week is 'better' or 'worse' than any other day.
So that is one belief that escapes me.

[jennielake]

10:24 AM on 07/27/2011

Monday is a Concept... and the Story about a made up concept is Fantisy.

We live in the Now - not in Fantisy.

Lets get back to Reality people - hugs.

[snazzy2479]

03:03 PM on 07/26/2011

When I was working full-time, Sunday night's always gave me anxiety. It was the worst!!! It was even hard to enjoy Sunday because you knew the next day was Monday. I'm all about havin' something good to look forward to. Monday didn't feel so bad because at least you're in it, and the end is in sight. Damn the anticipation is always the killer :-)

[Sunwyn Ravenwood]

08:46 PM on 07/25/2011

The solution is quite simple: abolish Mondays. Go directly from Sunday to Tuesday. 4 days on and 2 off is more fun than 5 on 2 off anyway.

[Blake Nawaa]

06:11 PM on 07/25/2011

Cavemen had weekends?

[workingliberal]

05:22 PM on 07/25/2011

I hate Mondays because I am reminded that I am not independently wealthy & have to work for a living :(

[Amminadab]

04:49 PM on 07/25/2011

Off tpioc

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe.

Fnnuy how taht wrkos, the biarn is anazimg.

[Natti]

03:50 PM on 07/25/2011

It's just another Manic Monday...

[Kristin Talbott]

03:49 PM on 07/25/2011

The whole premise here strikes me as just being ridiculous. I can assure you that while I do hate Mondays, probably even more than most, it's not because I've been deprived of bonding with co-workers for two whole days.

I work in a very small office now (just one other person besides myself) but I've worked in a lot of larger ones and when I did end up talking to co-workers on Monday mornings it was either because a) despite my best attempts to navigate from the front door to my desk with my head down and an extremely off-putting scowl on my face, someone started yammering at me anyway or b) when I made it to my desk, I remembered some god-awful task I had decided to put off until Monday and at that point I realized that no matter how tedious and annoying my co-workers might be, at least if I was pretending to converse with them I wouldn't have to do said god-awful task for at least a little longer.

But I was late this morning. At least they got that right.

[Rightlygay]

02:25 PM on 07/25/2011

If half the employees are late and then are only productive half of the day......why havent they been fired yet ? Could be weekends are too long for some people....like summer vacation for students and teachers......

[MBG-9]

03:05 PM on 07/25/2011

Rupert! Time for your nap!

[Rightlygay]

04:03 PM on 07/25/2011

No...its happy hour ......!

[Valois]

02:21 PM on 07/25/2011

Monday, monday so good to me
monday, monday it was all I thought it could be

[NYC619]

02:07 PM on 07/25/2011

So Garfield had a reason to hate Mondays.

[Aries Warrior]

01:48 PM on 07/25/2011

More brainwashing ?

[kapalabhati]

01:40 PM on 07/25/2011

Seriously, Marmite funded this "study?" Good lord. Next week: Palmolive funds a study over the tragedy that is dish pan hands.

Hey folks, life is tough. Hating 1/7 of it, because of what day of the week it is? Only making it tougher on yourself.

[FlaviaDeLuce]

01:59 PM on 07/25/2011

Well said.. I can only imagine how a farmer feels, he will work 7 days a week and we complain about 5!

[AbstractionAction]

01:37 PM on 07/25/2011

Experts told The Mirror that our hatred of Mondays is seated in "deep-rooted" tribal instincts. After the weekend, workers need to reconnect to the "tribe" through chatting and spending time in communal areas.

HAHAHAHA I don't think tribal societies had Weekends. This is one of the more absurd "tribal society evolution" statements I've seen.

[Kristin Talbott]

03:35 PM on 07/25/2011

No, they didn't have weekends. What they did have was a lot more leisure time. Which is, of course, why we hate Mondays so much, we barely recover from the last work week and start feeling rested enough to have some fun and oh, so sorry, it's Monday. Time to put your life on the back burner for another five days.