To quote actor-writer-comedian Steve Martin: "A day without sunshine is like, you know, night."
Old man winter officially knocks down the seasonal door at 11:48 p.m. next Monday, December 21. The good news is that the days will start to get longer. The bad news: it will be three months before the days, once again, become longer than night.
If you are one of those Michiganders whose mood slides downhill as we slide into winter, you've got plenty of company. And it's all tied into the relationship among light, mood and melatonin.
Asa Jansson knows a thing or two about S.A.D., otherwise known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. She is with the Center for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary University of London, and she joined us via Skype from Sweden, where they certainly know a thing or two about long, dark winter nights!
