Now that spring is returning to the Northern hemisphere, those with Seasonal Affective Disorder will start feeling better but according to Warm weather, sunshine help dispel winter blues it’s important not to get too much too soon.

According to the article, this is because for some people too much sunshine too soon can lead to hyperactivity and hypertension.

This is often described as hypomania or spring fever - a tendency towards being bipolar with rapidly changing spring weather. And much milder symptoms of this are probably the tendency many of us get around now to visit garden centres and DIY stores in a sudden burst of enthusiasm which soon disappears once we have forked out a load of cash for the goods and need to actually do the work!

Anyway if you do have tendencies towards really going over the top in spring the article advises building up your exposure to sunnier weather gradually starting with 20 minutes a day.

The problem is getting the right balance when the weather has the tendency to change rapidly from  one day to the next : gloomy to sunny and back again. Just as well there’s light therapy to help fill the gaps on the gloomy days.

According to Money, sun make Aussies a happy bunch a stable democracy, mild winters and a high standard of living contribute to making Australians some of the happiest people on earth.

It’s not surprising that weather makes such a difference to the happiness rating index in Australia with Seasonal Affective Disorder being prevalent in so many countries further away from the equator which have much gloomier weather.

It’s a wonder the people here in Edinburgh can smile at all! (Pure jealousy about sunnier climes :))