Conventional wisdom holds that a sudden shift to work on a Monday, after a weekend of rest and recreation, is depressing and depressing.
But according to new research by psychologists, Wednesday is in the middle of the working week, when the pleasures of the previous weekend are long gone and the next one has yet to arrive, and people’s moods drop to their lowest point of the week.
A team of researchers led by University of Sydney psychologist Professor Charles Arge quizzed 550 people about their mood on a daily basis.
The vast majority of people said they were at their worst on Mondays and gradually increased as the weekend approached, with Friday and Saturday being the most exciting.
But the team found that participants’ moods did not actually change much over the week, with Mondays less gloomy than expected and Fridays and Saturdays less exhilarating than expected.
According to Professor Charles Arge, the routine of the weekday is always the same. At the weekend, people are free to arrange their time and may be happy.
“In fact, they don’t necessarily feel high on the weekends because they are often engaged in other activities, which use up a lot of energy and can be as exhausting as working.
But, thankfully, Fridays always give us something to dream about.”
