Australian psychologists at the University of New South Wales have shown that gray, rainy days with unpleasant weather are good for the brain and memory , and improve the ability to remember. On the contrary, on sunny days our memory works worse .
To reach this conclusion, the researchers carried out experiments in a store in which, for two months, they registered through a series of tests whether customers remembered ten objects that had previously been placed on the counter. Associating the responses to the weather, they found that people who visited the establishment on rainy days solved the test much better than those who visited on sunny days. Specifically, the former remembered up to three times more objects than the latter. However, on sunny days people were in a much better mood.
The authors, led by Joseph P. Forgas, assure that when people are in a good mood they tend to be more deconcentrated and pay less attention to their surroundings . On the contrary, as explained in the Journal of Experimental Psychology , a negative mood, induced by a gray day, favors a more meticulous and conscientious way of thinking, with greater attention and ability to remember.
