The holidays aren’t so bad

We hear a lot about holiday-induced stress and how depressing the winter months can be, but Google’s Daily Misery Index—which tracks search interest for “stress,” “anxiety,” “pain,” “fatigue” and “depression”—indicates otherwise. The 2014 searches peaked in the spring and fall (the day of the most searches is a random Wednesday in April), tailed off considerably during summer months, and, based on 2013 numbers, likely will reach their lowest point toward the end of the year. A possible explanation? Holiday-induced euphoria. While the rate at which people turn to the Internet for advice certainly isn’t definitive evidence, it suggests people aren’t as miserable around the holidays as previously thought.

Source: washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/