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Tim Delaney teaches sociology at SUNY Oswego. Author of such books as Simpsonology: There's A Little Bit of Springfield in all of Us! and Seinology: The Sociology of Seinfeld. See full bio

June 22, 2008, Creativity

How Happy Was Your Friday?

June 20th of each year is supposedly the happiest day

How Happy Was Your Friday?

Symbol For Chinese Happiness For many people, Sunday evenings mark the end of the weekend and a time to start thinking about the week ahead. So, how was your weekend? In particular, how was your Friday (June 20)?

By now you may have heard that June 20th of each year is supposedly the happiest day of year. Clearly this can never be true for all persons, but in general, June 20th should be a happy day for most people. Oh yeah, says who? Cliff Arnall, a British psychologist, that's who!

In the tradition of empirical science, Arnall created a formula in order to scientifically test his theory. Arnall works with this formula:

O + (N x S) + Cpm/T + He.

Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor for the Telegraph UK, explains the equation as: "O" stands for being outdoors and outdoor activity, "N" is connection with nature, which is in full bloom now, "S" is socialization with neighbors and friends, "Cpm" stands for childhood positive memories, "T" is the mean temperature which is now usually warm, and "He" is holiday expected.

This interesting formula seems applicable to Americans as well. After all, June 20th marked the beginning of summer and most of us look forward to warm weather. And with warm weather comes outdoor activities which fuels are desire to commune with nature-even if it means mowing the lawn! Many people who "hibernate" for the winter finally come out and resume their socializing with others. And chances are the summer does bring back fond memories of childhood.

Personally, I can't say that this June 20th was my happiest day of the year, but then again, it wasn't the saddest. Typical scenario for us Libras!