It is based on a formula created in 2005 by Cardiff University professor Cliff Arnal to launch a marketing campaign
Blue Monday, Known as the saddest day of the year, it is celebrated in 2021 on this January 18. It is based on a pseudo-mathematical formula without scientific basis created in 2005 by Cardiff University professor Cliff Arnal to launch a marketing campaign for a travel agency, by which it is determined that the third Monday in January is the saddest day of the year.
Arnall tried to find out through a mathematical calculation when there was a greater predisposition of consumers to book vacations. It was then that he ended up coming up with a formula that worked in the field of marketing and it stayed to be used by some brands and establishments.
The formula is:
This is the formula that determines that today is the saddest day of the year
Tt: Travel time
D: Delays
C:Time spent in cultural activities
R: Time spent relaxing
ZZ: Time spent sleeping
St: Time spent in a period of stress
P: Time taken to prepare a luggage
Pr: Time consumed in general preparation.
Other factors that place the saddest day of the year on the third Monday in January are the weather, the debt, the monthly salary, the time that has passed since Christmas, the time since the purposes of the New Year, the low motivation and the urgent need to act before this.

Is today the saddest day of the year? Know what “Blue Monday” is
In Anglo-Saxon culture, blue (blue) is more than just a color and is used to talk about sadnessHence, Professor Arnal borrowed it to designate this day.
However, the lack of scientific rigor of this formula led to the scientific community to pronounce itself to deny it. And not only the scientific community, Arnall himself, who defines himself in social networks as a psychologist, coach and happiness consultant, is also an activist of the #StopBlueMonday movement started in 2016 together with Tourism of the Canary Islands to banish with a myth expanded over the years.
No, it is not the saddest day of the year. Today you have seen or will see a lot of material talking about #BlueMonday and what a psychologist says. A case of perfect marketing strategy creating a hoax. It is a fallacy created by a travel agency where they name the psychologist Cliff Arnall pic.twitter.com/hDofM8Hj1c– Adrián Segura C. (@AdrianSeguraC) January 20, 2020
Despite having denied it, the concept of ‘Blue Monday’ It continues to be commemorated year after year, and continues to be very present on social networks, especially by some brands that take advantage of it to promote their products and services and encourage their consumption.
In addition to not acknowledging Cliff Arnall’s “discovery”, many psychologists take the opportunity to mention the importance of treating feelings of anguish and sadness, not letting them be, and expressing them in time. Some of the recommendations they make to the regarding are:
– Set goals simpler and possible to achieve.
– Avoid emotional isolation.
– Relativize when negative thoughts abound.
– Seek professional help in case you feel necessary.
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