Are people in year-round warm state happier than those that have to suffer through winter?

31 comments

1. Winter has its ups and benefits, and it makes you appreciate and look forward to the warm weather

2. If by warm you mean unbearable summers, sure.

3. I would guess there is a huge genetic component to this. If your ancestors lived for many generations at a high latitude, you are likely more adapted to the limited winter light conditions of northern regions, hence lower Vitamin D needs etc.

4. Doesn’t seem like it. According to [this ranking](https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/happiest-states) the top three happiest states are Hawaii, Utah, and Minnesota, whose climates could hardly be more different. [This other list](https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2022/02/06/the-happiest-states-and-how-to-be-happy-no-matter-where-you-live/?sh=2c2d69fb282d) claims North Dakota, Vermont, and Nebraska are the best. So who knows, really? Some people don’t mind winter.

   North Carolina is definitely not warm all the time.

5. I still hate winter, but a coworker gifted me vitamin d supplements, and they honestly make a huge difference.

6. I get more depressed when there’s little variation in the seasons. I was absolutely miserable in Florida because I missed having winter weather.

7. I dislike heat and humidity, so summer is my least favorite season. I would hate to live somewhere where it was summer all year round.

8. I’d be way happier with year long winter. I get genuinely depressed in summer, and dread the heat and humidity.

9. Winter can be so-so, as someone born and raised in humid southern summers…it makes me want to cry when it starts warming up. That is, I don’t care if generations have lived in this caca, you never get use to it. But I also know I couldn’t handle a northern winter. I can’t do much snow for long periods of time. So here I will forever sit and puddle.

10. Seasonal affective disorder or SAD is a documented mood condition that happens to people when there is less sunlight (like winter). It is more typical in northern areas (all across America) that have shorter days in the winter.

    Any sun-blocking weather can contribute, though, like hurricanes, rain, or etc. so southern states with cloudy weather also have SAD.

    https://www.goodrx.com/healthcare-access/research/us-counties-at-risk-for-seasonal-affective-disorder-based-on-bupropion-fills

    Anecdotally, it is considered harder for some people who grew up in sunnier year-round areas to live in less sunny areas, while to opposite is less true.

11. I live in South Florida. I’m pretty happy. And I lived four years in Waltham, MA, and 10 years in DC, so I know winters.

12. I’d say that there is less likely to be depression and sadness in warmer areas than the gloomier areas. Not saying depression and sadness are non-existent in warmer states, just that its less likely to be caused by the weather. Know many people in Seattle who have depression because of the lack of sunlight.

    That being said, I find people who live in year-round warm state to be more incline to have anger management problem or have some crazy ideas.

13. July can be pretty miserable here in South Carolina.

14. I’ve lived in NC my entire life, and your miserable winter days are traded for our miserable summer days here. I mean like walk outside and instantly be drenched in sweat/out of breath from the humidity. That being said, a cold sunny day and a cold drizzly cloudy day are totally different in my book. I couldn’t function in a place with constant cloud cover.

15. Oklahoma has 10 months of the year that are above freezing. Fall and spring are nice, but the summers are unbearably hot for someone like myself from the north. I’m far happier in the cold winters and perfect summers in Michigan than in Oklahoma.

16. I’m sorry that you’re suffering. I enjoy the change in seasons and the variety of colors, wildlife and recreational opportunities that come with each. I used to get annoyed at the tail end of winter when you can’t tell if it’s going to be snowing or cold and muddy or warm. I started tapping my maple trees and making maple syrup that needs to be done in what was a frustrating time of year. Now I’ve found joy in it… and yummy treats.

17. I need the change of seasons, they are all so beautiful in their own way. The only time I don’t like winter is lots of rain on top of snow. It’s a winter wonderland then it warms up and rains on it, gross. Cold dark days are the best, everybody stays home while I enjoy a quiet walk in the woods.

18. I much prefer winter over summer here in Oklahoma. You can easily dress for single digit days, but its hard to dress for triple digit days. I can imagine a winter with tons of snow would be a pain in the ass though.

19. It’s sunlight for me.

    I lived on the Plains where it was bitter cold but I had sunlight. I was fine.

    Then I lived near the Great Lakes. Same weather. Overcast. Much worse.

20. Yes

21. It definitely isn’t warm and beautiful all the time in SoCal (May Gray and June Gloom are definitely a thing), but it certainly is nice out a lot more than most places. Everybody is different, but I can say that for me personally, I am happier living in this weather than I was living in the snowy part of California.

22. I live in Florida and the only time I get a little down is when I have to worry about a hurricane destroying my home. If you read the Reddit subs on Florida and Florida Cities you’ll see there are plenty of people that are completely miserable here. Not sure it‘s the weather though.

23. I HATE living in Florida and it makes me miserable. I can’t move atm, though. My wife and friends just took a short vacay to New England (I’m from there) and thoroughly enjoyed the cold/snow/Icey rain.

24. I’m not going to lie, living in LA is great. Hell, we just got smashed with rain & snow and it only makes me think, “Hiking is going to keep being awesome!”

25. Lots of people *love* winter. I’m one of them. I took a hike today in foot-deep powder followed by a nice long drive, it was absolutely beautiful. I wouldn’t put weather very high on my quality of life/happiness index as I believe that short of a storm or something there’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing.

26. I, for one, am much much happier living in a place with a “warmer season” and a “cooler season” but without crazy heat, frequent snowstorms, etc.

    Honestly where I live, in Oregon, I can go to the mountains and get snow in winter; I can go to the desert and get heat in summer; and I can come home to a place where it’s mainly between 50 and 75 all the time.

27. “Warm” is relative, though…here in SoCal it’s rained for the past three days, the snow line is down to 1,000 feet so many of the surrounding mountains have more white on top than most winters, and the temperature has been hovering in the 40s-low 50s. T-shirt weather for some places I’m sure, but here in LA it’s downright frigid.

28. “Suffer through winter?” You mean enjoy the snow?

29. Youre crazy I love winter and hate summer

30. Probably depends on the person. I struggle with too high heat so I’d be miserable in the Deep South

31. I’ll take January in Michigan over July in Florida all day. Some of our places that are warm year around get unbearably hot. It’s common in Arizona to be so hot that you can actually cook on the surface of your car hoods or pavement…and so hot that road crews have to work at night instead of during the day.