Worldwide, the third Monday in January is known as “the saddest day of the year ” or “ Blue Monday ”; nevertheless, this doesn't exist, according to experts from Mexico's National Autonomous University (UNAM) .
They claim this is a pseudo-scientific event or a marketing concept, which is the foundation of a campaign to increase the sale of trips. In 2005, the company Sky Travel looked for a way to increase its selling points.
Therefore, “ Blue Monday ” was calculated through an equation made by the English researcher Cliff Arnall , who considers parameters such as weather and the debts originated by the holidays to find “the saddest day of the year .”
Nevertheless, said equation can't be generalized, as the conditions are different for every country, said Hugo Sánchez , an academic from the Psychology Faculty .
Once the December holidays and parties are over, this period becomes a time for self-criticism , reflection, and melancholy but it doesn't become pathological , Sánchez explained.
The academic explained that people all over the world feel sadness and anxiety all the time but it doesn't always become an illness ; therefore, people shouldn't wait for a specific day to be depressed .
He explained that some sectors of the population can be susceptible to be influenced.
He urged vulnerable sectors, such as teenagers , not to suicide or risk their lives today and to ask for help if they feel depressed or anxious .
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