109 學年度學測英文 第 27 題

The idea of Blue Monday dates back to a 2005 campaign by Sky Travel. The travel company wanted to 26 people to take January vacations, so they reached out to a psychologist. The scholar then developed an equation to find the most depressing day of the year, and it turned out to be the third Monday in January. Since then, other companies have jumped on the bandwagon to promote everything from soft drinks to new clothes as a 27. A group in the UK even started a website devoted to “beating Blue Monday.”

Many scientists, however, say there is no evidence that Blue Monday causes any more sadness than other specific days of the year. 28, the idea of Blue Monday persists. According to psychologist Dean Burnett, people feel down in January 29 post-holiday discontent, and the Blue Monday claim makes it seem like there are scientific reasons for this. Also, the idea 30 a very complex issue regarding depression into something simple and easily understandable, and that tends to appeal to a lot of people.