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What is the psychological impact of Christmas?

‘Christmas affects the human mind in many ways, capable of stimulating joy, nostalgia, excitement, trepidation, and stress – occasionally all at the same time’, writes Professor Brian Hughes.

In the 1930s, US President Calvin Coolidge made the following observation on the annual yuletide festivities: “Christmas is not a time nor a season,” he said, “but a state of mind.”

For sure, Christmas affects the human mind in many ways, capable of stimulating joy, nostalgia, excitement, trepidation, and stress – occasionally all at the same time. It is little surprise to learn, then, that behavioural science has produced voluminous research into the human side of Christmas.

At the time of writing, a standard Google search for the ‘Psychology of Christmas’ yields approximately 126 million results. Even Google Scholar gives us 200,000. There is much to cover.

Perhaps the best starting point is to remember that Christmas is one of the most psychological of human festivals, in that it echoes the visceral terror of darkness that characterised humanity’s earliest experiences of winter.

In primitive societies, the steady shortening of days as autumn passed was a truly frightening thing, as there was little to reassure the world that spring would ever come.

The foreboding led to superstitions aimed at worshiping the sun, and sure enough, once rituals were performed and sacrifices offered, the days began to lengthen again.

The first winter solstice celebrations coincided with rewards from the sun god, and hence, the emergence of religion and mysticism as powerful influences on the human psyche. The fact it was all based on correlation rather than proof of causation might seem obvious to us now, but the damage was done. Winter festivals and religion itself were born and were to prove pretty much unstoppable.

Fast forward through the millennia, and today we have our familiar globalised Christmas, replete with enforced familial engagement, social choreography of gift-exchange, a conspiracy of mirth-making, and near obligatory hiatus from toil.

But how does it make us feel?

Health and Wellbeing

Studies into the impact of Christmas on well-being have produced varying results.

Data from the European Social Survey has suggested that people report lower emotional well-being at Christmas.

Meanwhile, other studies show that suicide rates decline markedly at this time. (That said, please remember it is always wise to check in with each other at Christmas and to engage in self-care and appropriate help-seeking if things get tough.)

For physical health, one legendary study reported that death rates of seriously ill people around Christmas suggest they can ‘hang on’ for a few days longer than they might otherwise do, in order to join in seasonal celebrations.

On the other hand, we know that people suffer more heart attacks at Christmas and that Christmas Day sees an annual peak in deaths in hospital emergency departments in countries whose healthcare systems are large enough to produce meaningful data sets e.g. the U.S.

Gifts

Even the simple act of giving a gift is fraught with psychological pitfalls. Christmas gift-giving is reciprocal and allows for an immediate assessment of the relationship between givers and receivers. While one’s first instinct might be to strive for equity, psychology suggests that things are more complicated. 

Equity must take account of the relative statuses of those involved. A gift that is too expensive or showy might backfire on those intending to impress. When reciprocity is expected but not realised – such as when a gift is given but none received in return – the result can be socially mortifying.

Research suggests that gender differences compound all this, making romantic gifts between men and women particularly perilous. Apparently, women are more likely to view a gift as measuring the compatibility between them and their partner. In contrast, men often view gifts as objects of material value, which may or may not come in handy sometime, or else can be returned to the shop.

That said this depends on individual personalities your relationship could be a reverse of the overall trend. 

Re-inventing Christmas?

One behavioural habit that humans regularly exhibit at Christmas is nostalgic moaning. Annually we complain that ‘years ago’ the festivities were better and that nowadays everything has become so commercial.

However, this habit seems to be a cognitive distortion of memory. Nostalgic moaning is nothing new. Try to guess when this opinion was first published?

Within the last half-century, this annual time of festivity has lost much of its original mirth and hospitality.

2000? 1980? 1960?

If you placed this quote in the current century, or the previous two – you are wrong. It appeared in an editorial of The Times way back in 1790.

This year, instead of focusing on the negative perhaps let’s remember that much of what we do and say at Christmas is conventional, arbitrary, subject to conditions and within our control to change.

In other words, you can create your own reality at Christmas time. Above all else, this liberating conclusion is perhaps the most important lesson to draw from the psychology of Christmas.

Professor Brian Hughes will explore these and other issues in a free lecture on the Psychology of Christmas today, 06 December, in Trinity College Dublin at 6.30 pm.

Professor Hughes is a Chartered Psychologist and a member of The Psychological Society of Ireland, he works in NUI Galway and his latest book Psychology in Crisis is out now.  

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    Mute Fergal Reid
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    Nov 30th 2013, 10:42 AM

    The people of Ukraine, particularly western Ukraine, feel like they’ve had their future stolen from them by Yanukovich and Putin. They’re right. These protests are about the existential future of the country and whether it turns west to Europe or east once more to Russia.

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    Mute sean t bugger
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    Nov 30th 2013, 10:58 AM

    Spot on ferg. Been there many times. They need visa to go anywhere outside Ukraine. Average job is 300 a month. They want the same freedoms and chances we have.

    Why don’t we protest like this? ?? Silly boy nieve boy. We collectively through national greed got ourselves in this mess. Sure bankers were horrifically horrible b@stards but it was property sellers wanting more and more. People living on credit. Ourselves to blame and we know it and we know we have to pay the piper and live with the hangover.

    So that’s why. No more of this uneducated why dont we protest drivel. We don’t cos we know we are to blame.

    Oh and alot of good its done for the Greeks.

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    Mute Fergal Reid
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    Nov 30th 2013, 11:09 AM

    Yup. You’re on the money yourself. Ukraine is a Second World disaster zone (literally in parts, thanks to Chernobyl). Ireland is not. Different circumstances, different protests. Walking down the street with a placard is not a righteous act in and of itself.

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    Mute al shamen
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    Nov 30th 2013, 11:38 AM

    You do know that ethnic Russians who naturally feel a close affinity with the country of Russia make up a large percentage of ‘The people of Ukraine’ don’t you?

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    Mute Coddler O Toole
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    Nov 30th 2013, 11:59 AM

    Sean, all 6 of the Irish banks collapsed in 2008 because they speculated massively and greedily on commercial property. This collapse and subsequent suicidal bailout triggered a deep rececesion which now sees hundreds of thousands unemployed and unable to pay the inflated mortgages they took on to house themselves for the most part. These people played no part in the economic collapse so please don’t presume to admit guilt on their behalf.

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    Mute Fergal Reid
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    Nov 30th 2013, 12:06 PM

    Ukraine is bifurcated between an ethnically Ukrainian west and an ethnically Russian east. It’s like Belgium only a DISASTER.

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    Mute Linda ralph
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    Nov 30th 2013, 12:19 PM

    Idiot

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    Mute Linda ralph
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    Nov 30th 2013, 12:21 PM

    That was for sean

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    Mute sean t bugger
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    Nov 30th 2013, 4:01 PM

    Whatever. But yes our disaster was collectively our fault. Selling your house in 07 damn it I want 500k although I paid 50k in 80s no wont accept 490 damn it lets push it to 550.

    Developers made huge money off our greed and the banks lending more encouraged our grees for their profits. Its all greed.

    Mind you in Ukraine in kyiv and the west its anti Russian they after all caused a famine. But one corrupt country. Justice for those who can afford it huge class differences. So refrain from input unless you have idea what your talkung about as clearly you don’t.

    Ta ta

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    Mute Philip Kenna
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    Nov 30th 2013, 10:59 AM

    Looks like mother Russia pushed some buttons.

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    Mute Aireach
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    Nov 30th 2013, 11:53 AM

    The over zealous expansion of the “EU” has to stop somewhere. Ukraine has never been historically,politically or culturally associated with western europe.

    Where do you draw the line?

    The EU doesnt need another basket case country on its books. It’s full of them already.

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    Mute Aunty Simmonite
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    Nov 30th 2013, 10:58 AM

    Yanukovych’s decision to scrap the EU deal was because he thought that the price of entry to the EU was too high. He must have been thinking of Greece.Maybe Spain or Italy or even ,dare I say it, Ireland.

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    Mute Fergal Reid
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    Nov 30th 2013, 11:11 AM

    I beg your pardon? He wanted hundreds of millions euro more in loans than had been offered. It was a combination of blackmail and bowing to Russian pressure. I hope they get lot of cheap gas because they ain’t gonna get nothing else out of this shabby deal with Moscow. Maybe Putin will let them keep the Crimea.

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    Mute al shamen
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    Nov 30th 2013, 11:40 AM

    Cheap gas is rather important in a country which suffers long and extremely harsh winters.

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    Mute Anna Taranova
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    Dec 1st 2013, 1:27 AM

    Absolutely not. He is thinking just about his own wealth and his safety, guaranteed by Russia. He is facing impeachment now, and use force to avoid this.

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    Mute Stephen Barry
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    Nov 30th 2013, 10:37 AM

    Protests, rally’s could the journal translate these words for Irish people please.

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    Mute Kris O Kay Kay
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    Nov 30th 2013, 11:40 AM

    Does the Ukraine want to join the EU or have closer cooperation? What is the reason for the protests?

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    Mute Aunty Simmonite
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    Nov 30th 2013, 12:23 PM

    You may not have heard of Mr.Barroso before but he is an unelected Portuguese Maoist who pulls more strings than our beloved Enda who actually was elected. Then we have the other muppet Van Rompuy and if he and Barroso are upset then Yanukovych must be right.

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    Mute Aunty Simmonite
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    Nov 30th 2013, 12:10 PM

    “The times for limited sovereignty are over in Europe,” Mr Barroso said

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    Mute Kenneth
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    Nov 30th 2013, 12:24 PM

    That’s how to deal with low life’s

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    Mute Vladimir Kalugin
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    Nov 30th 2013, 7:27 PM

    What the Journal doesn’t say is that the people who want Ukrainian assosiation with the Europe rather than Russia, are the absolute minority. Historicaly there is a group of people in the west, who hate Russia, whose fathers were close to poles; who later were fighting at Hitlers side during the war, and who pass this hatred to their children..Fk them..The majority of population see better future close to Russia..If you go to eastern part of Ukraine, you won’t even here Ukrainian languege, everyone speaks Russian..And lets be honest, Europe absolutely doen’t need Ukraine with it’s problems..

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    Mute Vladimir Kalugin
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    Nov 30th 2013, 7:36 PM

    And by the way, Ukraine played major part and had a good place in Russian Empire and in Soviet Union, when, if it would join Europe, it would just become colonial appendix, like baltic countries and others..

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    Mute Anna Taranova
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    Dec 1st 2013, 1:30 AM

    Vladimir, you are wrong. Majority of people in Ukraine wants to move to EU side, not Russia. You will see soon yourself this “minority”.

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    Mute Vladimir Kalugin
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    Dec 1st 2013, 11:37 AM

    I am seeing them and hearing them the last years..Fools, that don’t even understand that are being used..Tell me, what good did the “Orange” revolution brought to Ukraine, when they came to rule?
    Ukrainian government turned into circus, war criminals became heroes, and Russians from being friends, became enemies..did Ukraine prosper from it?..
    Now the same people want Eurointegration, even though countless number of economists said that Uraine’s economy will only loose from it..up to complete defolt..As i said, look at baltic countries..how it ended up for them..
    But If you are so eager to become western puppets, separate Lviv, make Klicko the president, and welcome to the sinking ship;)

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