If you had trouble waking up this morning, you are not alone. And if you are struggling to find a reason to smile, that's not uncommon either.
According to researchers, Monday mornings are so depressing that, on average, we don't crack our first smile until 11:16 a.m., reports The Telegraph.
The study by Marmite, the British food spread, also found that half of employees will be late to work, and will only log about three-and-a-half hours of productive work time.
Experts told The Mirror that our hatred of Mondays is seated in "deep-rooted" tribal instincts. After the weekend, workers need to reconnect to the "tribe" through chatting and spending time in communal areas.
Clinical psychologist Professor Alex Gardner told the paper:
Work could be the best place for you on Monday because we are essentially cavemen in city suits. We want to feel part of the tribe so we go for a cup of tea catch up and then settle down to work. Having done the tribal bonding, we are geared up for a productive week while some people who have started all guns blazing on a Monday morning may burn themselves out.
Yet other studies have found that it's Sunday, not Monday, that is the most depressing day of the week. In 2009, a study by researchers at the University of Gothenburg and Institute for the Study of Labor found that Sunday is the darkest day of the week in Germany, where individuals reported the lowest level of subjective well-being.
And according to The New Republic, data pulled from the 2008 wave of the General Social Survey found that Americans also were least likely to report being happy on Sundays.
Since we have to endure Mondays each and every week, it's important to identify ways to make the most of our emotional health. The Telegraph reports that according to the Marmite study, the best way to beat those Monday blues is by indulging in activities like watching television, having sex, online shopping, buying chocolate or make-up, or planning a holiday.