Across much of the United States, it’s downright dreary outside. It’s cold, the snow has gone from beautiful and pristine to dirty and crusted over, and the motivation to get outside is low. A 2024 poll from the American Psychiatric Association found that nearly half of Americans say their mood takes a dip in the winter, and 5 percent experience an acute version of these feelings called seasonal affective disorder. (SAD can be treated with antidepressants, cognitive behavioral therapy, and light therapy under the guidance of a professional.)

But what are the solutions for those who struggle with less severity? Psychologist Kari Leibowitz says intentionally embracing the season may be helpful. She’s the author of How to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days.

Leibowitz accepts winter for what it is now, but it wasn’t always that way. “I grew up at the Jersey Shore in a very summer-centric town, and I grew up reall,y really disliking the winter,” she says. Her work is what eventually helped her come around. “During undergra,d I became really interested in the science of well-being and studying human flourishing and how we can help people thrive. I learned about the work of this professor Joar Vittersø, who just happens to be this world expert on human happiness, and who lives and teaches at the northernmost university in the world, the University of Tromsø in northern Norway. And then I sort of started thinking about — isn’t it kind of funny or weird or surprising that this professor who is a world expert on happiness lives in a place that is so far north that the sun doesn’t rise for two months each winter?”

Leibowitz eventually moved to northern Norway for a year to research what she calls “the wintertime mindset.” She explains that mindset and how we can use it to beat the winter blues on the latest episode of Explain It to Me, Vox’s weekly call-in podcast.

Below is an excerpt of my conversation with Samuel, edited for length and clarity. You can listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. If........

© Vox