Today is 2011 saddest day

For many Jamaican families, the ham is down to the bone and will shortly be supper for the dog.

The sorrel, too, is in short supply and, well, Christmas seems a light year ago.

The 'new year' is not yet the 'old year' but, as the days roll by, many come to the realisation that resolutions have not been met and might never be met. This, researchers say, is enough to bring on genuine depression and is why they believe that today, January 17, is the saddest day in 2011.

Researchers Cliff Arnall and Dan Kruger of the University of Michigan are the men behind the 'Saddest Day' theory. The Saddest Day is determined using an equation that features debt, the gloomy and cold weather associated with the Christmas season as well as people's motivational levels.

Psychologist Leahcim Semaj is warning Jamaicans not to buy into the sensationalism of the saddest day theory. He says that many of these theories are founded in a hyped up popular psychology and not substantial research and reasoning.

Semaj says people should not look to wishful thinking but instead set realistic goals and work at them. He says that persons often suffer from 'seasonal affective disorder' or SAD, which is referred to as 'winter blues' in parts of North America and Europe. For persons suffering from SAD, Semaj encourages counselling and group interaction.