2. Tropical Weather
Most Filipinos try to avoid the Sun but, believe it or not, being exposed to sunlight increases our brain’s production of serotonin. Not only that, sunlight also causes our bodies to produce vitamin D, which helps our body make sure that enough serotonin is doing its job of keeping you happy. Awesome, right? But wait, there’s more.
Aside from production of serotonin and vitamin D, sunlight also controls the production of a hormone called melatonin. Melatonin helps us fall asleep and regulate our sleeping pattern. When exposed to sunlight, our body produces melatonin, but secretes in minimally during the day. When the sun is down or if sunlight is absent, melatonin secretion is increased to help us fall asleep and get a good night’s rest. If a person does not produce enough melatonin though, they can develop an abnormal sleeping pattern and depression. The good thing for people living in the Philippines is that healthy production of melatonin all really depends on one thing. Geographical location.
At places with winter seasons like the United States, the Sun is positioned at a lower altitude. The lower altitude of the Sun causes the sunrays to come down at an angle and causes them to scatter apart, which makes the energy from the sunlight weaker. At places near the Equator though, like the Philippines, the Sun is at a higher altitude and causes sunrays to come down directly and tightly together, which makes the energy of the sunlight a lot stronger.
During winter months, when sunlight conditions are weak, the body’s production of serotonin, vitamin D and melatonin are decreased and can cause seasonal affective disorder, or winter depression. People with this disorder are folks who experience depression and trouble sleeping during winter because their bodies simply cannot produce enough mood-boosting neurotransmitters and hormones. There simply just isn’t enough sunlight and, on top of that, most people shelter themselves indoor to keep warm from the cold.
In the Philippines though, weak sunlight is not a problem because the country is located within the range of the Equator. That means that the Philippines gets a constant stream of strong sunlight all year round (during the day, of course) that allows our bodies to make plenty of those “feel-good” chemicals. So, we’re pretty much well stocked on the “feel-good” stuff and feeling good all throughout the year. So, the next time you’re sweating in the tropical heat and dreaming of a winter wonderland, just remind yourself that being burdened with too much Sun is way better than being burdened with not enough. At least you have a daily full supply of mood enhancing chemicals to keep you healthy. That and snow is overrated anyway.
4 Reasons That May Explain Why Filipinos Are Generally Happy
2. Tropical Weather
Most Filipinos try to avoid the Sun but, believe it or not, being exposed to sunlight increases our brain’s production of serotonin. Not only that, sunlight also causes our bodies to produce vitamin D, which helps our body make sure that enough serotonin is doing its job of keeping you happy. Awesome, right? But wait, there’s more.
Aside from production of serotonin and vitamin D, sunlight also controls the production of a hormone called melatonin. Melatonin helps us fall asleep and regulate our sleeping pattern. When exposed to sunlight, our body produces melatonin, but secretes in minimally during the day. When the sun is down or if sunlight is absent, melatonin secretion is increased to help us fall asleep and get a good night’s rest. If a person does not produce enough melatonin though, they can develop an abnormal sleeping pattern and depression. The good thing for people living in the Philippines is that healthy production of melatonin all really depends on one thing. Geographical location.
At places with winter seasons like the United States, the Sun is positioned at a lower altitude. The lower altitude of the Sun causes the sunrays to come down at an angle and causes them to scatter apart, which makes the energy from the sunlight weaker. At places near the Equator though, like the Philippines, the Sun is at a higher altitude and causes sunrays to come down directly and tightly together, which makes the energy of the sunlight a lot stronger.
During winter months, when sunlight conditions are weak, the body’s production of serotonin, vitamin D and melatonin are decreased and can cause seasonal affective disorder, or winter depression. People with this disorder are folks who experience depression and trouble sleeping during winter because their bodies simply cannot produce enough mood-boosting neurotransmitters and hormones. There simply just isn’t enough sunlight and, on top of that, most people shelter themselves indoor to keep warm from the cold.
In the Philippines though, weak sunlight is not a problem because the country is located within the range of the Equator. That means that the Philippines gets a constant stream of strong sunlight all year round (during the day, of course) that allows our bodies to make plenty of those “feel-good” chemicals. So, we’re pretty much well stocked on the “feel-good” stuff and feeling good all throughout the year. So, the next time you’re sweating in the tropical heat and dreaming of a winter wonderland, just remind yourself that being burdened with too much Sun is way better than being burdened with not enough. At least you have a daily full supply of mood enhancing chemicals to keep you healthy. That and snow is overrated anyway.
About The Author
Raised in New Jersey, but moved to Metro Manila back in 2010. Paolo is a Filipino-American who is a graduate of mass communication, but currently a student of nursing in Quezon City. During the day he writes on hospital charts, by night he is writing on his blogs. A good day for him is watching a movie at a theatre while sipping on some Gong Cha milk tea.
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