Have you hear of "Summer SAD" or "Reverse SAD?"

[Juniper]

I have always felt a bit "weird" in regards to my personal choice of where I want to live, climate, you name it. I run into people all the time who wish they could live where it is warm or hot while I long to live in Alaska ;).

 

This came to a head for me on our recent trip from southern Texas to my in-laws in Northern Michigan. Yes, I was stressed about seeing and speaking to my in-laws for the first time in three years, but once I got up into the snow I was positively giddy. On days that were over cast I still felt giddy, but when sun came out it did dampen my emotions a little. I have always hated living in a warm climate, but deep down felt that I was just being selfish in wanting to live in a more temperate climate. Now, I am starting to wonder about how real this is. I have put on about 30lbs since moving down Texas, I really struggle with being outside in the heat and sun. Even when I am with the kids and horses for awhile, I quickly come back in.

 

Thoughts?

If you have traditional SAD of much of your life does it effect?

[elegantlion]

I wouldn't discount it. I hate the winter, with a passion. I am freezing and irritable and basically want to hibernate. Of course, July was too hot to do anything outside. When we were in the south, I didn't mind the heat. There is a certain joy about Christmas shopping in flip flops. But I don't miss sweating in the house with the AC on either. I'd love to live somewhere where it was 65-80 all year round.

 

I don't like either extremes and weather has always affected my mood, attitude, and desire to be outside.

 

I think southern Texas can be its own brand of miserable, weather wise though.

[Juniper]

I wouldn't discount it. I hate the winter, with a passion. I am freezing and irritable and basically want to hibernate. Of course, July was too hot to do anything outside. When we were in the south, I didn't mind the heat. There is a certain joy about Christmas shopping in flip flops. But I don't miss sweating in the house with the AC on either. I'd love to live somewhere where it was 65-80 all year round.

 

I don't like either extremes and weather has always affected my mood, attitude, and desire to be outside.

 

I think southern Texas can be its own brand of miserable, weather wise though.

 

 

Your July was extremely rough this year!!!! See, I could survive it up there, because I knew fall and winter WOULD come. Here.......they just don't really come. :( The first year, even with the drought I did hold it together. Now, I am just not handling things well. I don't even like to watch the weather, because when I see snow in other areas I feel just plain jealous. :p

[gaillardia]

I just tend to dislike living in Texas. It has been in the 20's at night, and chillllly during the day and if the wind is blowing take an extra 10-15 degrees off the temp. I think I get SAD in the winter here.

When it is summer and 110+ degrees, I get SAD then too. It just isn't right to be feeling stuck inside in the winter and the summer.

We had friends (homeschoolers) at one time in which both parents carried the gene for a sensitivity to sun and all of their children suffered from being in the sun in the summer. They switched to being up late, sleeping late, playing outside at night. If their kids were in the sun, like at camp, they'd get really sick. They had sensitive skin, they would get weak, I can't remember all the symptoms and I can't remember what the condition was called. They moved to New England.

I would rather be living in Florida.

[Upward Journey]

I definetly prefer overcast skies, and can get quite depressed when the sun shines for too many days in a row. I absolutely loved living in Seattle :)

[8circles]

I don't know if its an official thing, but I do know what you mean, I think. I have a very difficult time during long periods of intense sunshine. It isn't even the heat for me, its like someone's shining a spotlight on me and I can't escape. I can't do too many days of overcast either but I seem to cope better in the winter than in the summer.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I've never heard of it, but if it exists, I have it. By the end of the summer, I'm usually feeling pretty depressed because of the heat--and we live in a nice, temperate state with all four seasons! I just don't tolerate the heat well and never have. My face literally turns purple if I'm outside in the heat for any length of time, and I get nauseous if it's too warm inside. DD7 has inherited my nausea problem--she's actually vomited because of it.

 

So yeah, I hear you. Spring and fall are my favorite seasons, but I find cold winter air to be very refreshing. I'm constantly opening the kitchen window, and someone else is constantly closing it. It's truly one of the issues that keeps me from pushing DH harder to move somewhere less expensive--I couldn't tolerate the heat and/or humidity in any of our realistic options (Texas actually being one of them) :(

[Janie Grace]

I feel this way. I hate summer. I hate the heat and I hate feeling guilty for wanting to be indoors. I think part of this, though, is being an inside, game-playing, book-reading kind of person. Summer (with all its long days with no school to do) seems to be made for the outdoorsy, adventurous types. I just like curling up by the fire with my family much, much better.

 

ETA: Come to think of it, I don't handle heat well. I remember as a teen, I was VERY prone to heat-stroke... nausea, throwing up, etc. if out in the heat too long. So maybe it's truly a genetic, hard-wiring thing. My ancestors are from northern Scotland, so that would make sense.

[annandatje]

I prefer colder weather too although I do not suffer from seasonal affective disorder. While I live in a humid subtropical climate zone, I prefer dark, gray, gloomy, windy, chilly, foggy, misty or downright rainy weather. The heat makes me irritable and prone to hibernation.

[Juniper]

I definetly prefer overcast skies, and can get quite depressed when the sun shines for too many days in a row. I absolutely loved living in Seattle :)

 

See, I was raised primarily between Seattle and Anchorage. I always thought it was just a form of home sicknesses, but this is my second time living in Texas and I am struggling as bad as the first go round. I thought it would be better, because I had the Piney Woods and Gulf, but no dice. :(

[sparrow]

I've never thought of it being an official disorder, just a matter of preference for me. I prefer fall and winter to all other seasons. I love the quiet sound of winter. If I put my mind to it, I suppose I am in a better mood during these seasons, but I always just chalked it up to me and heat not getting along. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

 

ETA: Note my longtime siggy :D

[elegantlion]

Your July was extremely rough this year!!!! See, I could survive it up there, because I knew fall and winter WOULD come. Here.......they just don't really come. :( The first year, even with the drought I did hold it together. Now, I am just not handling things well. I don't even like to watch the weather, because when I see snow in other areas I feel just plain jealous. :p

 

 

It took about 2 years of being down there before I felt cool in the winter. It got down to the 30s or 40s at the coolest. I wore a winter coat once, on the day it snowed 1/4" and they cancelled school.

 

It is extreme, even if you don't mind the heat. I'd ship you snow. We have piles and it's been too cold to melt. Can you plan some getaways in the summer? Head to the mountains for a bit? That's one way I used to be able to handle living here, knowing I'd get a beach vacation at least every other year. Now, I'm not sure when we'll see another body of water.

[Juniper]

I feel this way. I hate summer. I hate the heat and I hate feeling guilty for wanting to be indoors. I think part of this, though, is being an inside, game-playing, book-reading kind of person. Summer (with all its long days with no school to do) seems to be made for the outdoorsy, adventurous types. I just like curling up by the fire with my family much, much better.

 

ETA: Come to think of it, I don't handle heat well. I remember as a teen, I was VERY prone to heat-stroke... nausea, throwing up, etc. if out in the heat too long. So maybe it's truly a genetic, hard-wiring thing. My ancestors are from northern Scotland, so that would make sense.

 

 

 

Here I am a little different. I LOVE being outdoors, but not when it is sunny. Sure I enjoy the first springlike weather or a day at the beach, but after that I am done in. I miss my walks in the misty rain or snow flurries. I went every day in Michigan, just so I could watch the snow fall and hear it crunch under my feet.

 

I feel "safe" when it is cloudy and overcast and totally exposed when it is sunny.

[Upward Journey]

See, I was raised primarily between Seattle and Anchorage. I always thought it was just a form of home sicknesses, but this is my second time living in Texas and I am struggling as bad as the first go round. I thought it would be better, because I had the Piney Woods and Gulf, but no dice. :(

 

 

I've lived in the SW desert and Florida for more than half my life, and driven through TX about a bajillion times ;) A good pair of sunglasses makes a world of difference. It doesn't help with the heat, lol, but it can make the extreme brightness bearable.

[justamouse]

I can't have too many sunny days in a row. When we had the drought this summer I was DONE done. It was like no one turned the oven down. Come in, put the shades down. The only reason I deal with the sun is because we have a pool, but I'm under the umbrella most of the time.

[WiseOwlKnits]

I could have written your post. I hate the heat. I don't tolerate it well and I get physically ill from being out in the heat for long periods. I've always been told it was all in my head. Snow and cold weather make me positively giddy!! Alas, I live in not far from you in TX and "cold" here is in the 50's. I can't stand seeing the weather right now because they show all these places that had a gorgeous, white Christmas...and I was walking around in shorts on Christmas Day. :(

 

When I've been in other parts of the country when I lived in Germany, I was so much happier. When I moved to Germany, it was winter and snowy and just gorgeous. I lost 15 pounds the first month I lived there. My dream is to move up north where it's cold, but I don't want to give up my life and friends here either.

[Juniper]

I could have written your post. I hate the heat. I don't tolerate it well and I get physically ill from being out in the heat for long periods. I've always been told it was all in my head. Snow and cold weather make me positively giddy!! Alas, I live in not far from you in TX and "cold" here is in the 50's. I can't stand seeing the weather right now because they show all these places that had a gorgeous, white Christmas...and I was walking around in shorts on Christmas Day. :(

 

When I've been in other parts of the country when I lived in Germany, I was so much happier. When I moved to Germany, it was winter and snowy and just gorgeous. I lost 15 pounds the first month I lived there. My dream is to move up north where it's cold, but I don't want to give up my life and friends here either.

 

 

I so get it. I had a selfish motivation for starting this thread. I wanted to know I wasn't alone!!! :D

[WiseOwlKnits]

It wasn't till Lily was born that DH finally admitted that it was possible to have an inborn intolerance to heat. Before that, he always said (kindly) that I was exaggerating or that I just needed to get used to the heat. From the time Lily was a few weeks old, she hasn't been able to tolerate being overheated. She's as hot-natured as I am...even more so possibly.

 

It's more than just summer that's debilitating to me. It's the heat...the oppressive, unrelenting heat. The brightness of the sun that makes it physically painful to have my eyes open without sunglasses on. (On the flip side, I can see clearly in almost total darkness). :) The lack of a fresh breeze that makes it feel like I'm baking in an oven. The humidity that makes me feel like I need a shower after 30 seconds outside. The extra sunlight that means that it's still light here at 9:30 at night. And that it's still in the 90s at night for most of the summer so you don't get a break from the heat even at night. And the lack of rain in recent years. Not only does the rain normally lower temps, but it also makes the air seem cleaner.

 

Give me an overcast, rainy, cold day over that anytime. Or a month of them. :)

[KungFuPanda]

I tend to get winter blues from lack of light, but I can see where Texas weather would be depressing. I didn't live in Texas very long, but I wasn't sad to leave it. Also, having spent 4 straight years without experiencing winter, I did feel rather antsy and good and ready for seasons again. I really dislike winter, but I'll admit that going through it is what makes me appreciate spring.

 

I know I'd definitely get depressed living in Alaska, but I can see how baking in Texas for years on end could really wear a person down, especially if you're the type who needs to get outdoors frequently to be happy. My family finds the snow and cold 'invigorating.' For DH, cold makes him feel alive where it just makes me feel miserable and anxious to get warm.

[Desert Rat]

Interesting idea. I live in the desert. We very rarely get overcast days. I'm a redhead and I get overheated very easily. I find that on days I wake up and it's overcast, I feel my shoulders relax and I can breathe deep and relax. I just realized this reaction recently.

I can't go outside a building without sunglasses. We have baskets of them and I'm super picky about finding the darkest ones I possibly can. I carry umbrellas everywhere because I loathe sunscreen.

I do feel happier when it's overcast or raining.

However, I don't want to live in the wet. I detest mold and mud. I hate bugs. So, I'll stick with the desert. But, I do love cloudy days.

[Unicorn.]

I have always felt a bit "weird" in regards to my personal choice of where I want to live, climate, you name it. I run into people all the time who wish they could live where it is warm or hot while I long to live in Alaska ;).

 

This came to a head for me on our recent trip from southern Texas to my in-laws in Northern Michigan. Yes, I was stressed about seeing and speaking to my in-laws for the first time in three years, but once I got up into the snow I was positively giddy. On days that were over cast I still felt giddy, but when sun came out it did dampen my emotions a little. I have always hated living in a warm climate, but deep down felt that I was just being selfish in wanting to live in a more temperate climate. Now, I am starting to wonder about how real this is. I have put on about 30lbs since moving down Texas, I really struggle with being outside in the heat and sun. Even when I am with the kids and horses for awhile, I quickly come back in.

 

Thoughts?

If you have traditional SAD of much of your life does it effect?

 

I think we must be twins, seperated at birth. Or at least long lost cousins! I'm the same way. The Tx heat is depressing, and I love gray, winter, overcast days; snow, and cold weather. I told dh after summer 2011, if we had another summer like that, I was moving to Alaska.

[Shawna in Texas]

I don't know. I've never lived anywhere that had proper seasons. My perfect weather would be dreary and no more than 50F as a high. If I didn't have all my extended family down here, we'd be going north. As it is, we are looking into the future. I don't really want the snow; it's the rain I want. I'm hoping we get that rain on NYE that is predicted. I'm stupidly excited about that. And we plan on a North Padre trip before Spring Break. The beaches are empty and the weather isn't horrible yet.

 

Yet, my grandfather loves the heat. He's 88 and mows the yard in his bikini. Of course he gets something cancerous burnt off every year...

 

The only bad thing really is the static electricity. All that friction from our sweaters. We went to HEB this evening and ouch, that buggy! My youngest wanted to push and I finally relented. She's not going to ask again. DH got dirty looks when we let him have a turn. He didn't talk very nicely to it.

[deannajo]

It's a real thing! Not as common as traditional SAD but it's real and just as you all describe - I deal with it too - just moved to the pacific northwest from the Midwest - I think I'm really going to like it here :)

[Pawz4me]

I've been convinced for several years now that I have summer/reverse SAD. I want to hibernate inside with all the curtains and blinds tightly closed when it's very sunny, bright and hot outside. A friend once described those days as "too loud." I feel like the brightness, heat and humidity are a sensory assault. I love a nice cloudy, rainy day, and the more gentle sunshine of early spring and late fall are fine. June, July and August are like torture, and a time of the year I just try to hunker down and survive.

[Greenmama2]

Oh yes! I've never heard of it before but I definitely have it. All summer I fantasise about moving to Siberia. I live in the coldest place it is vaguely practical for our family to live, which isn't very cold considering our country is usually pretty warm. At 1000 m above sea level on a ridge between two large valleys we get plenty of cold foggy days right through summer which helps me deal with those loud one. Yes, too loud is how I find it. My mother on the other hand lives in an area where they are lucky to get ten days below 40 degrees C all summer. We only visit in winter.

[Juniper]

This has been a very interesting read. Who knew there were so many of us?! ;) It is interesting that many of us find it so similar. The light issues being loud and painful, the heat being oppressive and draining. Wanting to hibernate and hide. Then there are the opposite reactions. Coming alive in the snow, feeling tension release when it is over cast. Fascinating!!!!

[Zebra]

I am thrilled to be reading this thread!

 

I HATE summer and heat/humidity, and it makes me physically ill. All I want to do in July and August is lay on the couch. We have an average high of only 79 here in the summer, and I cannot fathom the thought of Texas in August. We had to go to Florida one August, and I felt like I was literally in h*ll. I have never been so misraeble in my life.

 

Some people think I am crazy, but after 15 years of marriage DH is convinced there is something to this whole "heat/summer intolerance" thing. I have ALWAYS been like this, even as a child. I remember how nasty my grandmother would get in the heat, and I am sure it's not only a real thing but also hereditary.

 

I don't think it's a mental thing, I think it's a real physical thing that some of us were just born with.

[nono]

My SAD is specifically light-related. Snow days are GREAT for me because there's enough light! Temperature doesn't bother me. I love both winter and summer temps. If we have a lot of snow over the winter, I generally don't go nuts. On a gray winter, it's tough going.

[tammyw]

I definitely think I'm more like this. I think my issue is not having seasons. It breaks up the monotony of hot, bright, sunny days. I grew up in Western Canada, where summers were very short and winters were very long. I don't really want to have my winters last *that* long again, but after marrying my husband, and moving around to warm places (Hawaii, San Diego), I've started desperately missing the cooler weather, and if it simply rains, it makes me very happy.

[mommaduck]

I'm physically allergic to the cold and am looking forward to moving south. My immune system has been getting worse about it. I have one cold with SAD and I know the move will be good for him. I have another that used to be heat sensitive, but she has gotten better over the years and will do well where there are breezes. We used to school spring through autumn and take winter off because of how winter affected us.

[cathmom]

I am so glad you started this thread! I have been saying the same thing for a while now. I am much happier in the winter, hate hate hate the summer, and love it when it's overcast. We are planning to move further north.

 

I think ancestry may play a part - mine is from the British Isles.

[tammyw]

I always joke that when I hit menopause (probably not too many years), I'll need to move to Alaska, just to survive. Zoiks.

[Annie Laurie]

I feel the same way. I think people think I'm joking, and my dh knows I don't like living in TX, but I don't think he understands how truly depressing I find the weather. It's about to be January, and I keep having to remind myself not to borrow worries and start thinking about summer, but I feel a sense of dread, knowing how soon it'll be hot again. The summers are just so long. I feel so much better in the winter. I've been so happy that it's finally been consistently cold, since we were still getting 80 degrees just a few weeks ago.

 

I grew up in MI, and my mom talks about how depressing she found living there since it's often overcast, but that never bothered me. I get so sick of the relentless sunshine here in TX.

[Word Nerd]

I do hate winter and being cold, but the primary issue with my SAD is the lack of light and the shorter days, not what temperature it is.

[cathmom]

Ironic that this thread is now "hot"!

[eaglei]

I feel this way. I hate summer. I hate the heat and I hate feeling guilty for wanting to be indoors. I think part of this, though, is being an inside, game-playing, book-reading kind of person. Summer (with all its long days with no school to do) seems to be made for the outdoorsy, adventurous types. I just like curling up by the fire with my family much, much better.

 

I prefer colder weather too although I do not suffer from seasonal affective disorder. ... I prefer dark, gray, gloomy, windy, chilly, foggy, misty or downright rainy weather. The heat makes me prone to hibernation.

 

I've never thought of it being an official disorder, just a matter of preference for me. I prefer fall and winter to all other seasons. I love the quiet sound of winter. If I put my mind to it, I suppose I am in a better mood during these seasons, but I always just chalked it up to me and heat not getting along

 

I miss my walks in the misty rain or snow flurries. ... just so I could watch the snow fall and hear it crunch under my feet. I feel "safe" when it is cloudy and overcast and totally exposed when it is sunny.

 

I could have written your post. I hate the heat. I don't tolerate it well ... Snow and cold weather make me positively giddy!!

 

It's more than just summer that's debilitating to me. It's the heat...the oppressive, unrelenting heat. The brightness of the sun ... The lack of a fresh breeze that makes it feel like I'm baking in an oven. The humidity that makes me feel like I need a shower after 30 seconds outside. The extra sunlight that means that it's still light here at 9:30 at night. And that it's still in the 90s at night for most of the summer so you don't get a break from the heat even at night. And the lack of rain in recent years. Not only does the rain normally lower temps, but it also makes the air seem cleaner. Give me an overcast, rainy, cold day over that anytime. Or a month of them. :)

 

I love gray, winter, overcast days; snow, and cold weather.

 

I want to hibernate inside with all the curtains and blinds tightly closed when it's very sunny, bright and hot outside. A friend once described those days as "too loud." I feel like the brightness, heat and humidity are a sensory assault. I love a nice cloudy, rainy day, and the more gentle sunshine of early spring and late fall are fine. June, July and August are like torture, and a time of the year I just try to hunker down and survive.

 

This has been a very interesting read. Who knew there were so many of us?! ;) It is interesting that many of us find it so similar. The light issues being loud and painful, the heat being oppressive and draining. Wanting to hibernate and hide. Then there are the opposite reactions. Coming alive in the snow, feeling tension release when it is over cast. Fascinating!!!!

 

I am so glad you started this thread! I have been saying the same thing for a while now. I am much happier in the winter, hate hate hate the summer, and love it when it's overcast.

 

 

You have all stated this so very well! I definitely agree with you! I take a lot of ribbing (some kindly-natured, and some not-so-nice) for being this way. It is so good to know that there are many who feel the same! It's not that I totally abhor the outdoors (as I've been accused); rather, the summer and the sun just simply do me in - no energy, etc. I can handle, for example, taking a leisurely walk in the summer. Overall, though, the summery outdoors isn't for me. As another poster said, I simply hunker down and try to survive it. And I try - I really do - to put a *good face* on that survival mode. To have a good attitude. To push aside my discomfort and do what is necessary. Only people like you know the horrific (but mostly worthwhile) effort that entails, and wow, is it ever nice to know that others understand! I'm not alone! Now wintry, overcast, rainy, etc., days - I come alive! Those are my most energetic days!

 

OP - Thanks for starting this thread!

[Critterfixer]

I have heard of it, and deal with it as best I can. Arkansas isn't much better than Texas when it comes to summer heat, which I don't like, but my symptoms don't actually seem to have anything to do with the heat. It's hot in September as well, but I usually start feeling much better by that time, heat and all. It's the sun.

It's too close. It feels as if it is sitting on my head the whole time. I try to stay inside at times when the sun is high, and I try to do some dark therapy when I can. Closing curtains, keeping lights off seems to help some. I've heard dark movie theaters are helpful, and I find that staying under trees is also helpful just to cut down on the brightness.

I've also tried to help myself tolerate the light more by getting sun at times when it isn't so bright and plentiful--I'm hoping that it will help me adapt better to the summer light levels.

[BlueTaelon]

I have it, it sucks, I just hide inside during the summer and only come out really early morning or evening.

[Upward Journey]

I have heard of it, and deal with it as best I can. Arkansas isn't much better than Texas when it comes to summer heat, which I don't like, but my symptoms don't actually seem to have anything to do with the heat. It's hot in September as well, but I usually start feeling much better by that time, heat and all. It's the sun.

It's too close. It feels as if it is sitting on my head the whole time. I try to stay inside at times when the sun is high, and I try to do some dark therapy when I can. Closing curtains, keeping lights off seems to help some. I've heard dark movie theaters are helpful, and I find that staying under trees is also helpful just to cut down on the brightness.

I've also tried to help myself tolerate the light more by getting sun at times when it isn't so bright and plentiful--I'm hoping that it will help me adapt better to the summer light levels.

 

Yes! :iagree:

 

I used to think it was the the heat, but I realized about two years ago that I was wrong. It's just the brightness of the sun for me. It literally hurts. I get a headache almost immediately when I'm in extreme sunshine. It doesn't matter if it's hot or cold. I currently live in a place that's had snow since October and the temperature today is about 28F i.e. we're rejoicing because it's "warm" out ;) But it's very bright, and I DON'T like it one bit.

[Juniper]

I think I have a true mix of temp and light issues. I can handle light if there is snow, but I still prefer grey and overcast. Maybe that is because of the quietness that snow brings? The muffled sounds and such? I don't know, maybe there is something sensory to this. That would make sense.

 

Thinking about it now I would say it is primarily the sun, but the heat makes me physically miserable. The sun makes me anxious and I want to hide. Hmmmmm... fascinating! :D

[Critterfixer]

Caves are good when I can get to them. Right now with the bat fungus they were not letting anybody in them this past year. That stunk. There is nothing like a good dose of darkness when the light is just too bright.

 

And yes, the heat and humidity are rancid too. But I swear I can feel the sun stepping on me from about June 20-September 20th or so.

[Izzy]

I have SAD that lasts from right after Christmas to about March. It's miserable. It absolutely does affect every part of my life. I'm foggy, lethargic, and want to hibernate all winter. I long for sunlight and love the spring and summer. I do know reverse SAD is a legitimate disorder but rarer. It sounds like you might have that. I would say let's trade but I live in Texas. lol. I have no idea how one manages to have SAD in TX but I did it. Must be because I was born in Florida. ;)

[Izzy]

 

Thinking about it now I would say it is primarily the sun, but the heat makes me physically miserable. The sun makes me anxious and I want to hide. Hmmmmm... fascinating! :D

 

 

Yep, SAD is all about sun and not temp. A lot of SAD sufferers don't mind cold weather as long as it's sunny. I imagine it would be the same for people that suffer from reverse SAD. Maybe they would be okay with heat as long as it wasn't sunny.

[annlaura]

I much prefer cooler weather too. Summer gets difficult for me, although I do enjoy summer nights. I also react poorly to air conditioning, which makes the summmer that much harder.

[AlmiraGulch]

Interesting this should come up! I was just about to post a thread about SAD, asking if people really think it's real, because I'm pretty sure I have it. "Regular" SAD. I have been borderline depressed all week long, and I realized it's because it has been rainy and gross all week. As soon as the sun came out yesterday I perked up.

 

I don't like cold at all (it makes me cranky!), but I can deal with cold weather and even snow if the sun is shining and the sky is blue. I often drive around with my convertible top down and the heat turned on if it's sunny!

 

I suppose if it's true one way it could be true the opposite, although I cannot imagine how people could be happier in the rain and fog and gray than in the bright sunshine and clear skies. Interesting things, our brains.