Sometimes we read a scientific study and it's very revealing. Other times, it seems like the information that's published is pretty obvious.

The latter applies in this case. A company called PLOS One, specializing in behavioral science, just came out with a study claiming that the collective moods of cities is influenced by such factors as sports and weather. Is it just us or is this info so clear...it's laughable? I mean, we live in Central New York, home of the Syracuse Orange, bleak winters and often record snowfalls.

The weather and sports outcomes affect our moods? Tell us something we DON'T know. The moods of thousands rise and fall with the fortunes of Orange basketball and football. And, wait a minute...the lack of sun here in CNY for seemingly MONTHS at a time affects our mood. Oh REALLY?

The study in question comes from just north of us in Montreal. Researchers there, at McGill University, in conjunction with others at the University of Pennsylvania gauged the sentiments of people in big cities. They did this by monitoring their Twitter feeds.

Bottom line: people were in more positive moods when the weather was nicer and/or their teams were winning.

I guess if all of this is true, we must be doing okay in the Mohawk Valley. Snowfall totals have been lower than normal. And the Utica City FC soccer team is winning and drawing sellout crowds at the Adirondack Bank Center.

In Syracuse the football team is back to its winning ways under head coach Dino Babers and there's always optimism for coach Jim Boeheim's basketball team at this time of the year. So, Central New York must be feeling pretty good these days, right?

The study found one interesting byproduct of the moods that are uplifted by fairer weather and favorable sports results: residents in those "happier" regions buy more lottery tickets. Do you feel lucky?

 

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