These are the top fifty triggers most likely to put you in a bad mood
| 18th February 2019
A bad night’s sleep, arguing with a partner and losing the house keys are among the things most likely to put Brits in a bad mood, according to research.
A study of 2,000 adults has revealed the top 50 things guaranteed to turn your mood sour with getting ill, bad traffic and a grumpy partner also featuring.
Other things likely to contribute to crankiness are being late for an appointment, getting out of a warm bed on a cold day and backseat drivers.
It also emerged the average adult will spend an hour and 52 minutes a day in a bad mood, with just under half admitting they have days where they are in a bad mood from the minute they wake up to the minute they go to bed.
Researchers also found six in 10 Brits think they suffer from the ‘Winter Blues’ with more than half attributing their negative state of mind to a lack of sunlight.
However, two thirds of those polled agreed good weather really helps lift their mood, a quarter like bright lighting and a fifth feel happier when in colourful rooms.
A spokesman for Philips Hue smart lighting, which commissioned the research, said: “Winter can be a dreary and difficult time – the weather is often cold and wet, we have no money and everyone is generally in a grump.
“This means many more things than usual can put us into a bad mood, something that’s not helped by the dark mornings and evenings.
“Lighting not only effects visual conditions, it also influences our biological functions and emotions, while colour is thought to have a huge effect on our moods.”
Other bad mood triggers include getting a stain on a new top, someone saying something negative about your appearance and having a bad skin or hair day.
Burning the toast, the phone battery dying out and oversleeping also feature in the list – and football fans admit their day is ruined if their favourite team loses.
While the computer not working and seeing your bank account statement can really bring people down.
The time of the year can have an impact on how people are feeling though, as having to get up in the morning when it is still dark outside, an umbrella blowing inside out and having to de-ice car windows all bring people down.
These feelings can cause as many as four in 10 to have arguments with a partner, and a fifth will tell the children off for little things which wouldn’t usually bother them.
Work can also be affected – as 15 per cent of those polled by OnePoll.com have been known to make mistakes when in a mood and 13 per cent have had disagreements with colleagues.
However, Brits believe their bad moods can be relieved by being exposed to blues and greens, as these are considered the most relaxing colours, while black and red are the least calming.
To demonstrate how light can help enhance mood, improve sleep, productivity and concentration, Philips Hue have worked with applied colour psychologist Karen Haller to produce a mood chart with ‘light recipe’ suggestions.
These include ‘balance’ to help adults recover from the stresses of everyday life, ‘uplift’ for positivity and ‘hangfree’ to cure a handover.
Karen Haller said: “Colour is not just a visual stimulus. Colour influences how we feel, think and behave.
“We respond to colour and the combination of colours in our environment throughout the day. We don’t even realise we are doing it.
“We are typically only 20 per cent conscious of the colour choices we make, from getting the colour of our morning cuppa just right to the colours we choose to wear, and which tube line to take.”
TOP 50 BAD MOOD TRIGGERS
1. A bad night’s sleep
2. Treading in dog mess
3. Having an argument with your partner
4. Getting ill
5. Computer not working
6. When your partner is in a bad mood and brings you down with them
7. Traffic
8. A bad day at work
9. Losing your wallet
10. The boiler breaking down
11. Losing your keys
12. Being late for an appointment
13. Checking your bank account and seeing much less than you’d expected
14. Having to get out of a warm bed on a cold day
15. Winter in general
16. When your public transport doesn’t arrive
17. When someone is late to meet you
18. Waking up in the morning and it still being dark outside
19. Not seeing the sun all day during winter
20. Getting a stain on a new top
21. Someone saying something negative about your appearance
22. People talking about Brexit
23. Getting lost
24. Forgetting to set your alarm and oversleeping
25. Getting rained on while walking to work
26. A bad haircut
27. Phone battery running low
28. A bad hair day
29. A bad skin day
30. Having no phone signal
31. Your phone battery dying when you’re out
32. Getting to the car and realising you have to de-ice the windows
33. Icy roads
34. When it’s only just been payday but you’re already low on cash
35. When you order clothes online and they don’t fit
36. Having to stay late at work
37. Your umbrella blowing inside out
38. People spoiling a TV show you haven’t seen yet
39. Realising your holiday is still months away
40. Back seat drivers
41. Getting toothpaste on your top as you’re about to leave the house
42. Your football team losing
43. Making a cup of tea and realising you’ve got no milk
44. Losing a glove
45. Going on Facebook and realising how pointless it is
46. Burning your toast
47. Losing the TV remote
48. Not being able to find your glasses
49. Being on a diet / health kick
50. Feeling pale during winter