…and why our mood evaporates (at least for the largest -the more normal?- part of the population)
There is a moment every winter, somewhere between the first cold days and the annual quest for boots that “don’t slip”, when we witness the following little miracle:
You check the clock: 4:58 PM.
You check again: 5:00 PM.
And outside: the world has pressed the dark mode button.
If you think this affects you only because “you’re a bit tired,” allow me to clarify:
No.
It affects you because the solar system has decided to play with your mental stability among other things.
And there is evidence.
1. It's not just us… our planet itself has a quirk
Earth doesn’t stand straight, it tilts. And not a little bit: 23.4°.
If a person stood at that angle, we’d politely tell them: “Sit down, you’re going to fall.”
This innocent angle is responsible for the Sun working part-time in winter (north hemisphere).
A few hours of daylight, a quick coffee break and then “ciao, I’m off.”
Darkness isn’t just a natural phenomenon;
it’s the universe’s first reminder that it has absolutely no intention of spoiling us.
2. Daylight decreases and the brain takes it personally
The human brain can do impressive things:
* fall in love with the wrong person
* store trauma from the ‘90s like a collector’s item
* search for your phone while you’re holding it
But deprive it of daylight, and it collapses like a thirsty plant.
Serotonin drops and with it, all of our defenses.
Less serotonin = more complaining, carb cravings, and existential spiraling.
Suddenly anything that requires energy: work, responsibilities, vitality, feels like a boring documentary about… tundra flora.
3. Vitamin D: the goddess who abandons us when we need her most
In November? She ghosts us and honestly, it’s not even her fault.
There simply isn’t enough sun to produce her.
Result? Fatigue, apathy, and an unexplained craving for chocolate.
It’s not in your head: your body is underperforming because someone switched off the “SUNLIGHT” button.
4. Circadian rhythm: the biological clock that goes to bed at 5 PM
Your circadian rhythm measures light and decides when you should sleep.
In winter its message is always the same:
“It’s dark. Bedtime. NOW.”
Reality, however, says:
“You still have work, kids, an empty fridge, and a full laundry basket.”
In this battle, there are no winners.
We simply drag ourselves through the evening.
5. Society moves normally, we don’t
Here lies the greatest irony:
the day shrinks but obligations stay the same.
We’re not in Iceland, where someone might say “We work less in winter.”
No.
We continue as if nightfall at 5 PM is a trivial footnote.
So we live in a double reality:
society demands 100% functionality, while the brain has already turned off the lights and wrapped itself in a blanket.
We eat dinner in pitch blackness and feel like characters in a Scandinavian noir.
6. Caffeine: the last ray of light
Around 6:30 PM, when everything hints that it’s time to sit down and surrender, you decide:
“I need another coffee.”
It’s not a necessity. It’s a coping mechanism.
Each sip is a tiny rebellion against the cosmic chaos.
A small way to whisper to the darkness:
“I’m keeping my eyes open. Whether you like it or not.”
7. Winter puts us in energy-saving mode
We are not built for productivity in December.
We are built for soups, blankets, binge-watching, fuzzy socks, and philosophical meltdowns at 8:14 PM for no apparent reason.
Psychology says the decrease in sunlight impacts mood.
Experience says it encourages temporary disappearance.
Truth says the body simply adapts to a world that darkens a bit too early.
Conclusion
If you feel strange, low, tired, existential, or simply “not in the mood for anything”…
it’s not your fault.
It’s Earth tilting.
It’s the Sun clocking out early.
It’s biology, cosmology, physics, chemistry, every science that found a way to prove that winter is essentially a collective mood crash.
And of course, it’s because the coffee ran out. 😉
🖤 zerofack$: Somewhere between 5:00 PM and the first yawn, you realize: it’s not you, it’s Earth refusing to stand straight.
P.S dedicated to my girlfriends (proof that I do have empathy!!)
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