Press Notes

• The Canary Islands' tourist board has created the #StopBlueMonday initiative to debunk the theory of the most depressing day of the year using an argument based on the benefits of the archipelago's climate and stunning scenery  
• Cliff Arnall, a British psychologist and the inventor of Blue Monday, has visited the islands to overturn his theory, based on a mathematical formula that determined the third Monday of the year to be its most depressing day  

CANARY ISLANDS, January 17, 2016 – The Canary Islands form the backdrop to overturn the phenomenon of Blue Monday and demystify the theory proposed by British psychologist Cliff Arnall, who determined in a study published in 2005 that the third Monday of the year is the most depressing day. To refute his conclusion and halter the forces of pessimism, the Canary Islands' tourist board has created the #StopBlueMonday initiative, which uses the archipelago's natural resources to show that the formula is mistaken and does not hold true in home of the "best climate in the world".

This year, Blue Monday falls on 18 January and the creator of the theory has visited Tenerife to join the movement to foster optimism and encourage "the creation of happiness everyday", arguing against his own formula, which combined different variables such as the lack of motivation after Christmas, the onset of the cold and the financial struggle of January to show there is one day in the year that is the most depressing of all.

During his visit to the archipelago, the academic from the University of Cardiff remarked that "it's hard to imagine a place so charged with life just a few hours from the centre of Europe". Arnall admits that on the Canary Islands "it's impossible to feel depressed with so many bright, sunny days, brimming with the energy transmitted by the island's volcanoes and its revitalising natural environment".

The manager of Promotur Turismo de Canarias, María Méndez, remarked that "this initiative affirms the value of the archipelago's climate where every Monday is quite the opposite of Blue Monday. This is what makes the Canary Islands the favourite winter destination for European tourists".

The initiative has its own website (www.stopbluemonday.com ), inviting people to go online and create posters rallying against depression, filling their ink with positive messages.

Press Contact:

Porter Novelli: Brezo Rodríguez  / Natividad Fradejas / Alberto Tapia

+34 91 702 7300

brezo.rodriguez@porternovelli.es / natividad.fradejas@porternovelli.es  /  alberto.tapia@porternovelli.es

@PN_Turismo

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