Andy Green contacted me yesterday, via the comments to yesterday's post, and asked that I remove the dodgey designation to the Beat Blue Monday site.
While I am sure, or at least hope, the site means well, I do not think their 'beat the blues' equation is remotely scientific and promoting it as such is deceptive and, hence, dodgey.
The equation is described as "first defined by Cliff Arnall, formerly of Cardiff University". I hope this is not typical of his research methods. It calculates that Monday 19 January 2009 is the worst day of the year.
It is as follows:
The model was broken down using six immediately identifiable factors;
- 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).
The D in the equation is undefined; presumably it is the day of the year.
There is no second half to the equation: like x = y+z. So what does the equation equal?
Units are undefined. How do you subtract debt from days and then subtract the difference from weather?
It is really quite bizarre.
Now if they said it was a joke, and made it a joke rather than a university endorsed 'equation', they could still pursue the cause of depression but without the fake authority of scientific endorsement.
The emperor's new labcoat.
So I thought it dodgey. Still do.
...
