Oct. 7, 2004 Get out -- for at least 30 minutes. The positive
impact warm, sunny weather can have on mental health and mood
are real, according to new University of Michigan research.
Taking a trip to someplace warm in the middle of winter or
lingering outside when spring arrives can be especially
beneficial, with pleasant weather improving mood, memory and
broadening cognitive style (openness to new information and
creative thoughts) as time spent outside increased, researchers
found. Hotter weather during the summer, however, lowered mood
levels and the effect of pleasant weather was far less
noticeable in other seasons. "Being outside in pleasant weather
really offers a way to re-set your mind-set,'' said Matthew
Keller, the U-M post-doctoral researcher who led the psychology
study. "Everyone thinks weather affects mood but the biggest
tests of this theory in 2000 found no relationship, so we went
back and found there are two important variables: how much time
you spend outside and what the season is. If y