The third Monday of January has been awarded the gloomy title due to a combination of post-Christmas blues, cold dark nights and the arrival of unpaid credit card bills.
Apparently, a university professor managed to precisely calculate the most depressing day of the year, using the following formula:
![frac{[W + D-d] T^Q}{M N_a}](http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/0/4/8/0488676cfd763b28dd774e06b7f554b4.png)
Where weather=W, debt=d, time since Christmas=T, time since failing our new year’s resolutions=Q, low motivational levels=M and the feeling of a need to take action=Na. ‘D’ is not defined in the release, nor are units.
Supposedly the date was calculated by using many factors, including: weather conditions, debt level (the difference between debt accumulated and our ability to pay), time since Christmas, time since failing our new year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and feeling of a need to take action.
However, all may not be as it seems here, as it turns out this was in fact a PR stunt by Sky Travel.
Read all about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Monday_(date)