Ah Blue Monday, not the amazing song by New Order but rather the name given to a date in mid-to-late January stated to be the most depressing day of the year. Cliff Arnall came up with the concept in the 1980's and even though the whole concept is considered pseudoscience, its formula derided by scientists as nonsense, the concept has stuck. I've written the equation below:

where 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. 'D' is not defined in the release, nor are units.

Arnall says the date was calculated by using many factors, including: weather conditions, debt level (the difference between debt accumulated and our ability to pay), time since Christmas, time since failing our new year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and feeling of a need to take action

This year Blue Monday will fall on January 20, 2014 and to help combat this claptrap I've constructed links to wonderful uplifting games that will help to raise your spirits.

Like film, music and literature, games can affect our moods so I've chosen a few games that will help you relax and calm down. Positive Psychology research tells us that happy people perform better at work, school and other tasks. People across the world spend billions of hours a week playing games- imagine how transformative gaming could be! Spread a bit of cheer and pass this link on to friends and family to brighten their day!