Seasonal Affective Disorder Pt.1: What’s happening in the brain?
While a lot of us deal with mood shifts when the seasons change and winter creeps ever closer, some of us can feel them on a deeper level, leading to a more disruptive form of depression called SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder.
In previous posts, we’ve touched on the impact of various weather conditions on our cognition and mental well-being, but in our next two, we’ll be zooming into the specific science of SAD.
We’ll explore how the brain reacts to seasonal changes, explain why some are more susceptible, and offer advice on managing the condition.
The Yerkes-Dodson Law: Optimizing Your Performance
In 1908, psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and John D. Dodson formulated what’s known as the Yerkes-Dodson Law. In essence, it refers to the relationship between performance and arousal levels. They argue that cognitive function and overall performance improve with increasing arousal levels up to a certain point. Beyond this point, they say, higher levels of arousal lead to a decline in performance.
Why are we covering this? Well, it offers great insight into the importance of finding the right balance when it comes to our mental health and brain health.
In today’s post, we’ll explain more about what the law is, what it refers to, and how it functions in the brain.