To wonder if those who love winter have very robust mental health or very happy lives?

[Comedycook]

So I was thinking about this after reading a thread about weather. Lots of posters saying how they loved winter...some even said they love the dark evenings and what really surprised me was the poster who said they loved dark, cold mornings. I assumed everyone hated these!

Now I'm not in a terrible place mentally and I'm not depressed but I do find the dark, rainy, cold days do affect my mood. When the evenings are warm and light I feel so much happier.

I'm really interested in how others don't feel that the winter brings them down and actually enjoy it. Are they naturally happier, more positive type people?

I love winter it, however I do live abroad where there's tons of snow, lots of winter sports etc

I like the dark evenings but not the dark mornings. I have a tendency to being a bit of a depressive person.

I’m not sure I’m actually answering your question but last winter I cold water dipped all winter - it was a total game changer.

Im someone who’s been affected by SAD and battled every winter since my early teens. So I can recommend it to help get through the cold months!

But what do you actually like about the dark evenings?

Honestly, it’s just a preference.

Like liking blue more than red, or opting for vanilla over chocolate.

I prefer light evenings and long days but there's something lovely about battening down the hatches, lighting the fire and spending the evening warm and cosy

But lots of people do find winter depressing...it's why seasonal affective disorder is a thing. I'm interested in how some people can actively enjoy something that makes others so miserable?

Dark evenings are lovely because you can come home, have a bath immediately and get Pjs on, light candles, draw blinds and get cosy with no guilt that you should be out doing anything.

Stews and hot chocolates and nights in with family watching films under a blanket.

Cold, sunny walks in the forest with hats and boots on, then home for tea and biscuits.

I wouldn’t want winter year round, but I love the change in the seasons.

I've grown to like winter a bit more over my life. I can certainly sleep a lot better in winter as it's dark for twice as long! Hate being cold but love the build up to Christmas - Jan/Feb/March I loathe

I’m a pretty happy positive person and my mental health is as robust as it comes (by pure chance by the way it’s just the way I am) and I hate the winter. I feel the cold something chronic and I miss the light evenings. It doesn’t turn me into some miserable troll but my preference is always 30 degrees and sunny.

Except it's rarely sunny and crisp is it, more like grey and soggy in the UK at least

I like being cosy and indoors. I like the cool air and frost. I feel more comfortable in winter clothes and less hot a sweaty. I am a much more irritable person when hot so not necessarily more positive. I also like the festivals in winter halloween, bonfire night and Christmas. It does start to drag in February though...

I love both! Love the cosy evenings, delicious food and love winter clothes. I dog walk a lot and prefer doing that in colder temperatures. I am Australian and really don’t find the English winters very cold.

I’d just rather be cold than hot as it’s easier to do something about it , although I’m also generally very positive .

I think it depends what you enjoy. I prefer winter because I love feeling cosy.

I love being indoors, wearing snuggly clothes and socks with blankets and candles watching tv, reading books, playing board games and eating comfort foods like pies, stews and warm puddings.

I love that first breath of bracing cold air when I go outside all bundled up in coat, hat and boots. I much prefer winter walks where the ground is hard and frosty to sweating and swatting away bugs. I love Christmas and twinkly lights and mulled wine and fireworks. All wintry things.

I don't understand the love for dark evenings, because evening commitments don't magically stop in the dark. So I still want to go to the things I enjoy (choir, orchestra) and take DS to the things he enjoys, but now we have to defrost or demist the car, wonder where to park that feels safe to walk back to late in the dark, etc etc. Plus I can't get gardening done after work which I like doing in the light evenings. If I lived somewhere warm I might not mind the dark so much, but the safety aspect will always be a concern too.

There are aspects of winter that I dislike but some that I like. I don’t like strong winds but I quite like being cosy in the evenings and on days off. Having an open fire really helps me feel cosy in winter. I put warm fairy lights up, too. Now I’m in my 50’s, I do find that come January my bones feel cold and I long to feel the warmth of the sun on my body so I’m always very glad when Spring arrives.

There's a homely cosiness to winter. Getting home from work and it's dark and wet and grim, and I step into a bright, warm house, curtains drawn against the dark and wet - it's so welcoming and cosy. And even if I'm the first home and the house hasn't woken up to the evening yet, I can get that going.

I don't like opening the curtains in the morning when it's still dark out. But it doesn't depress me.

I don't think I'm a particularly sunny individual. I struggled with depression for many years, and the season did not make any difference.

I feel like we're told to hate winter, it's an expectation, a stereotype pushed upon us. But I really don't see why I should. Obviously the fact that I can live a comfortable life influences this, as I doubt I would feel this way if I could not afford to heat my house/wear woolly jumpers/feed my family good hot food etc.

I have pretty good mental health but love the winter unless it affects my travel plans!

I used to go to work in the dark and come home in the dark and used to love standing in my classroom watching it coming down dark at the back of 3 (NE Scotland).
Right now I'm sitting in my dressing gown, nice and cosy with the cat beside me on the couch - lovely.

Give me seasons. Each one feels good but I don’t want to be stuck in any one

I love winter. I like the dark and the cold and the freshness, and being able to wear woolly socks and boots and scarves, but most of all I love it because it brings brief respite from near year-round fairly severe hayfever.

Honestly? I love big jumpers, tights and huge clompy boots. Plus scarves. Also you can legitimately eat custard and crumble etc without feeling like you'll burn up.

Suicide rates are actually higher in the summer because people who are quite depressed cannot deal with the happiness of the season . They prefer winter.
I suffer badly with depression, and it can be quite difficult during the summer months when everyone is out having fun going on holidays
I was a bit better this year however, I found everything just far too hot and uncomfortable. I went on holiday and there was a heatwave. It was like 45 I had had enough by October
of the warm weather here in the UK and I am looking forward to cosy night. It was even warm today.!

I suspect a lot of people (not all, but a lot) who like winter are those who like an excuse not to do a lot and just sit on the sofa watching TV.

Well, I like that its not too hot - you can go for a proper walk without sweating. I like the idea of warm and cozy inside they house, of hot baths, of having less pressure to be out and about. I like that the kids get to sleep earlier and sleep better. I like the lights around Christmas. I like that you can see the stars at night without waiting until midnight. I would say my appreciation of winter doesn't extend to January and February though tbh.