Mondays really are the worst day of the week
Bottom Line: There’s probably more truth to the notion of self-fulfilling prophecies than not. Think about it. Are most days generally similar? Why do some seem better than others if they really aren’t? How good is your average day really (and take a look at the world outside of the United States for perspective)? Studies in psychology have previously proven the following generally applies to the average person...
- We’re more likely to dwell on perceived negatives than seek the positives in a neutral situation
- The average negative interaction requires five positive interactions to balance out
- We’re more likely to remember negatives in our lives than positives
For whatever reason, it’s just part of the human condition and that’s where the self-fulfilling prophecy comes into play. If you think something will be negative, you almost certainly can make it a reality. Gallup’s latest research suggests we do it with days of the week as well and it doesn’t just impact our attitude, it actually impacts our overall well-being. Here are a couple quick and easy questions and there aren’t any wrong answers.
- What’s your favorite day of the week?
- What’s your least favorite day of the week?
Despite there being seven days in a week most people answer with the same two days. Saturday and Monday. For all of the obvious reasons. Interestingly Gallup’s research shows that because of our dread of Monday’s we actually are inclined to enjoy Sunday’s less than we would otherwise. And yes, our personal well-being is generally lowest on Mondays. The negativity we perceive or create for ourselves triggers a chemical reaction making it a reality. Human nature is human nature. It’s unlikely the average person won’t love a Saturday and won’t generally dread having to go back to work on a Monday but there were a couple of takeaways from Gallup. They found that the best way to minimize Monday stress is to minimize commitments. In other words, if you’re loaded down with meetings/tasks right away on Monday, you’re more likely to stress about it over the weekend. Once we’re into the work week we’re less likely to stress about the next day’s agenda as much.