Cabin fever: Staying indoors and lack of sunlight in January leads couples to argue more, on average 20 times during the month

  Short days, miserable weather and a lack of cash.

  It's no wonder January is the worst month for couples.

  Average Brits argue rise to an average of eight minutes a day during the month - and two thirds have broken up with a lover at the start of the year, research has revealed.

  The January bluesmeans people spend 15 hours a day at home - causing 'cabin fever'.

  If they are strong enough to stick at it couples will waste four hours in the month fighting - but for some the idea of the tough month was so bad they broke up as part of a New Years resolution.

  Behavioural Psychologist Donna Dawson said: 'Cabin Fever is a real phenomenon that takes place during the dark winter months, particularly January.

  'The lack of sunlight can make us feel lethargicand depressed, and the lack of exercise and the fact that we are cooped upin a stuffy, centrally-heatedhouse can make us feel edgy, irritable and stressed.

  'Add boredom to the mix, alongside any financial issues and too much empty time with our partners, and you have the perfect recipe for arguments and consequent break-ups.'

  The study of over 1,000 Brits by Sheilas’ Wheels home insurance found that long hours at home result in 20 arguments with their other halves during the month.

  Compared with the 14 hours and 48 minutes a day in January that they spend cooped up during the summer months people spend just ten hours and five minutes at home and couple have just 16 arguments.

  Over two thirds of Brits blamed the weather for wanting to spend more time indoors, while 65 percent said it was the lack of daylight and a third said they were tightening their beltsafter Christmas.

  The January blues struck 38 percent with under 25s being the worst hit at 48 percent and almost half of Brits said January was the most depressing month of the year.

————————————————

  昼短夜长，天气阴冷，还缺钱花。

  难怪一月对于情侣来说是最糟糕的一个月份。

  研究显示，一月份普通英国人平均每天吵架的时间为8分钟，三分之二的英国人在年初和情人分手。

  “一月忧郁”指的是人们每天在家待的时间长达15个小时，引发了“幽居病”。

  如果情侣们可以坚强地忍耐下去，他们在这个月将要浪费四个小时的时间吵架。但某些情侣由于这个月实在太难熬就分手了，这也成了他们实施的新年决心之一。

  行为心理学家多纳 道森说：“幽居病是在阴郁的冬天特别是一月份发生的一种真实现象。

  “缺少阳光会让我们昏昏欲睡、心情抑郁，而缺少锻炼，成天待在不通风的集中供暖的屋子里，则让我们焦躁易怒，精神紧张。

  “再加上无聊和经济问题，而且和另一半在一起有太多的时间要打发，这几个因素的组合是酿成吵架甚至最终分手的完美处方。”

  Sheilas’ Wheels家庭保险公司开展的这一涵盖了1000多名英国人的研究发现，长时间待在家中导致英国人这个月和另一半吵架多达20次。

  英国人一月份在家时间平均每天为14小时48分钟，与此相比，夏天人们平均每日待在家中的时间只有10小时5分钟，而夏天情侣平均只吵架16次。

  超过三分之二的英国人将自己更愿待在家里归咎于天气，而65%的人认为是昼短夜长的缘故，还有三分之一的人称他们在过了圣诞节后就开始勒紧裤腰带过日子了。

  英国有38%的人遭受“一月忧郁”的困扰，其中25岁以下的人受创最严重，忧郁者多达48%。此外，近半数英国人称一月是一年中最令人抑郁的月份。

  Vocabulary:

  blues:忧郁

  cabin fever:幽居病；舱热症（由于禁闭、孤立所引起的焦急等症候）

  lethargic:瞌睡的；爱睡的

  coop up:监禁；将……禁锢在狭小空间

  stuffy:通风不良的；窒息的

  centrally-heated:集中供暖的，由中央系统供应暖气的

  edgy:急躁的

  tighten one's belt:束紧裤带，省吃俭用；缩紧预算