As a nation, we like to complain about the weather.
But as April showers loom, we should embrace the rain and go outside even when it’s drizzling, research suggests.
Studies have shown that rain actually makes us happy and improves our mental health through molecules released into the atmosphere.
The molecules – called ‘negative ions’ – may even have ‘therapeutic effects on depression’, according to BBC naturalist Matt Gaw.
Writing in Countryfile magazine, he said: ‘Walking, running and swimming in the rain – whether it’s a heatwave-breaking storm, a downpour, the downpour over the Cumbrian rocks or a drizzle – has shown me that, unlike cultural figures of speech, there is little sadness. in the rain.
Studies have shown that rain actually makes us happy and improves our mental health through molecules released into the atmosphere
‘It actually feels like the opposite. There is a lightness, a joy in experiencing something fundamental about the world.
‘It’s a feeling that is backed by science. Because when the clouds part, there is something other than water in the air.
‘Negative ions are atmospheric molecules charged with electricity. They are most common near rivers, beaches and mountains, where air molecules are broken up by moving water.
‘They are found near breaking waves, near waterfalls and they are also there when it rains.
‘These negative ions, which are inhaled and transferred to the blood and brain, have been associated with biochemical changes that positively impact mental health.’
Previous studies have shown that negative ions can have therapeutic effects on depression.
“In short, while we may associate wet weather with gloom, noir and misery, being outside in the rain can actually improve our mood,” Mr Gaw added.
The Met Office has warned that the four-day Easter bank holiday weekend could be a bust, just weeks after England had its wettest 18 months since records began.