Blue Monday Isn’t Real—How the Myth Took Hold (Full Transcript)

Name: Blue Monday Isn’t Real—How the Myth Took Hold
Uploaded: 2026-01-20T10:09:48+00:00
Channel: GoTranscript
Description: Blue Monday’s ‘scientific’ origins trace to a 2004 marketing campaign, not evidence. Here’s why the formula fails and why the idea persists.

Blue Monday’s ‘scientific’ origins trace to a 2004 marketing campaign, not evidence. Here’s why the formula fails and why the idea persists.

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[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Apparently today is the most depressing day of the year. It's even got its own official name, Blue Monday. But is it true? Well, in 2004, a psychologist was asked by a travel company to come up with a scientific formula for the January blues. The weather, having no money after Christmas, and probably already failing your New Year's resolutions, as well as low motivational levels, are just some of the elements that make up the formula to find the bleakest day of the year, which is apparently the third Monday of January. And sure, it looks scientific, but it's not, because a lot of these elements you can't even measure, like the motivational levels for the whole country. The travel company just wanted the formula as a marketing tool to sell cheap holidays to people who now thought they were unhappy. But despite this, Blue Monday's kind of stuck. Some people think the day trivialises other mental health conditions, like seasonal affective disorder. Others think it's just a cheap way for companies to try and get people to spend more money. So yeah, Blue Monday, not real.

Summary

The transcript explains that “Blue Monday,” supposedly the most depressing day of the year (the third Monday of January), originated as a 2004 marketing concept. A travel company commissioned a psychologist to create a “scientific” formula based on factors like weather, post-Christmas finances, failed New Year’s resolutions, and motivation levels. The segment argues the formula isn’t scientifically valid because key variables are not measurable, and the concept was intended to sell holidays. Despite its dubious origins, the idea persists, with criticism that it trivializes real mental health issues (e.g., seasonal affective disorder) and serves as a tactic to encourage spending. Conclusion: Blue Monday isn’t real.

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Title

Blue Monday: A Marketing Myth, Not a Scientific Fact

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Keywords

Blue Monday Remove

January blues Remove

marketing campaign Remove

scientific formula Remove

travel company Remove

mental health Remove

seasonal affective disorder Remove

consumerism Remove

New Year’s resolutions Remove

misinformation Remove

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Key Takeaways

Blue Monday was created in 2004 as a marketing tool, not a scientific finding.
The commonly cited ‘formula’ includes factors that cannot be reliably measured across a population.
The date is typically claimed to be the third Monday in January.
Critics argue the concept can trivialize mental health conditions like seasonal affective disorder.
The persistence of Blue Monday benefits companies by encouraging consumer spending, such as booking holidays.

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Sentiments

Neutral: The tone is explanatory and skeptical. It critiques the validity of Blue Monday without strong emotional language, while noting concerns about trivializing mental health and commercial manipulation.

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