Is the 'sunshine cure' a real thing? - CrowdScience podcast, BBC World Service podcast

If I’m awake to see the sun come up,   it’s a great start to the day. I mean it's just clear blue sky... - You feel more energetic, positive  - You know the whole day’s gonna be pretty good.  I think my mood goes up, it doubles, you know. I’m Marnie Chesterton and you’re listening to  CrowdScience, the show that answers questions   sent to us from all over the world and  sometimes, if we’re lucky, also takes us to   some of those places – which is why I’m currently  enjoying some winter sunshine in southern Spain. I’m here to try and find out whether the weather  makes a difference to our mood, and our health  because listener Michael in Australia  got in touch with this question: [Michael] I would like to know why so many people,   at the slightest sight of sunshine and warmth, have sharply increased enthusiasm for life and their moods appear far happier. I'm wondering as to the science on whether it's actually better health-wise, to live in a warm climate. [Marnie] I'd like you, Michael, to tell me a bit more about the bit of Australia   that you’re from? Because I always think of Australia  as hot and sunny, but you live in an anomaly? [Michael] I think the anomaly is the southern part. Particularly where I'm from in Melbourne which is southern Victoria. We have an Oceanic climate which is not much different to what you guys have in London. Of course, we have greater variation, with higher highs, but we also have a terribly gloomy climate, by the standard of Australia and that's what's important to remember here Marnie, this is not by the standard of, I don't know, Scandinavia or something like that. And the problem that we have here locally is the inconsistency. Summertime, or leading into summertime, you might have a 25, 26, 27-degree day for three days in a row and it will just tank to 16, 17. [Marnie] Can I ask what kind of effect that has on the people in Melbourne? [Michael] What you have is that typical, cold-climate dropped headedness and I also lived in Sweden, and I noticed it absolutely everywhere in Sweden, and when the sunshine comes out, there's a little bit of warmth behind it, the mood is better, everyone's at the café, 'Hey, mate! How you going? How's the day? ' 'Yeah, great! ' [Marnie] You're not just interested in mood, right? You also want to know about whether living somewhere sunny has an effect on other health conditions. Anything in particular?