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When is Blue Monday 2026? The truth behind "the most depressing day of the year"
19 January 2026, 08:00 | Updated: 19 January 2026, 09:26
We delve into the day labelled "the most depressing day of the year" and reveal whether or not it's a complete myth.
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The third Monday of January has been cursed with the name Blue Monday and deemed the most depressing day of the year for many moons now, but why has it got such a bad rep?
Music fans of course know Blue Monday to be the title of New Order's famous 1983 track, but in recent years it's been associated with something else entirely.
Let's face it, most Mondays are pretty bad and January isn't the greatest month of the year either, but why has this day in particular been given such a bad rep?
Find out more why below...
What day is Blue Monday 2026?
Blue Monday is the third Monday of January and in 2026 it falls on Monday 19th January. It's been dubbed the most depressing day of the year due to its distance away from Christmas, the fact that most people won't have received their first pay cheque of the year yet, and the theory that most people will have already tried and failed to keep their New Year's Resolutions.
Why do we celebrate Blue Monday?
It might surprise you to know that the origins of the term came from travel firms looking to promote their winter holiday deals. As The Independent reported, Sky Travel tasked psychologist Cliff Arnall to come up with a formula for the bluest day of the year in 2004 so they could argue it was the best day to book a holiday.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph in 2013, Arnall described his own formula as "not particularly helpful" adding: "I was originally asked to come up with what I thought was the best day to book a summer holiday but when I started thinking about the motives for booking a holiday, reflecting on what thousands had told me during stress management or happiness workshops, there were these factors that pointed to the third Monday in January as being particularly depressing".
So there you have it. Blue Monday is a totally made up day of the year which was only invented as a way of marketing holiday deals.
So you needn't feel too blue after all...
New Order - Blue Monday (Official Lyric Video)
Whether it's a man-made myth or not, plenty of people still find this time of the year difficult.
Find out how you can get help by talking to people below.
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